Refugees

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:12): I'll try again: to the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion. Can the minister tell the house what discussions the state government has had with the federal government about housing Syrian refugees in South Australia, how many refugees we're expecting, where are they going to be housed and what the expected budget will be?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (15:12): We welcome the commonwealth government's decision to give assistance to refugees from Syria and we welcome them to South Australia. This has been done before, and we are in discussions with the commonwealth government about arrangements about cost. When we have a more detailed fix on what the commonwealth will provide, we can understand better what the state's contribution will be. I think it is fair to say that everyone in the cabinet and in the caucus thinks we can and should do more to help with people who are fleeing situations like we are seeing in Syria. The Premier and Premier Baird were the ones who led the charge on this, and I'm glad to be part of a government that wants to do more for people who are fleeing what can only be described as hellish conditions.