O-Bahn

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Given the current plight of Arrium and its workers, and the minister's acknowledgement that the steel being used on the O-Bahn project is largely from overseas, can the minister confirm whether there is any way of knowing where the steel used in government projects comes from?

The SPEAKER: Before the minister answers that, no argument, opinion or facts are to be included in questions other than when leave is sought, and leave was not sought.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:13): Thank you, Mr Speaker. This has been part of a continued campaign by the opposition to comprehensively misrepresent how this O-Bahn project has been delivered. It started with the deputy leader, who made a whole series of assertions—

Mr KNOLL: Point of order: the member is imputing improper motives.

The SPEAKER: Which one is that?

Mr KNOLL: It's 127.

The SPEAKER: Correct.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It started with the deputy leader, who—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

Mr Marshall: It's 131, obstructing the house, sir.

The SPEAKER: No, 131 is that a member may not interrupt another member who is speaking. Minister.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It started with the deputy leader, when she claimed that—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker: the second offence against your ruling.

The SPEAKER: I just prefer to hear a bit more before I intervene. Minister.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It started with the deputy leader, when she claimed, erroneously, that we weren't prioritising the use of South Australian steel on the O-Bahn project and, as I explained to the parliament quite a few weeks ago, that is completely incorrect. I did explain to the parliament how we were sourcing steel from Arrium to use on the O-Bahn project.

Let's put this in context because the suggestion was made that we should stop the O-Bahn project, a project which employs over 200 South Australians each year during its construction period. We should halt that project and we should wait until an industry commences—not here in South Australia; that wasn't the contention that was put forward—somewhere else in Australia that can provide some of the products that could be used—

Mr Marshall: Anyway, why don't you answer the question?

The SPEAKER: The leader is on two warnings.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: The contention was that we should stop the project until an industry can commence somewhere else in Australia which may be able to provide some materials which could be used on the O-Bahn. As I explained to the parliament when I was previously asked about this some weeks ago, we are in fact using thousands of tonnes of steel from Whyalla, from Arrium, on the O-Bahn project.

Ms Chapman: Forty thousand tonnes.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It's not 40,000 tonnes—it's not anything like 40,000 tonnes. It's not anything like 40,000 tonnes.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: There are a large number of people on the other side who are asking, 'What is it?' I would encourage them to do their homework, check Hansard and look at the details that I provided to the house many weeks ago which outline, chapter and verse, that we are procuring thousands of tonnes of South Australian steel on the O-Bahn project. If they continue to be too lazy and indolent to do even the basic requisite job of an opposition, then that's beyond me or the government to assist them.

The SPEAKER: I warn the deputy leader and the member for Newland, and I warn for the second and final time the member for Chaffey. The member for Newland.