Question Time

Gillman Land Sale

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier stop referring to the vacant Gillman land as a 'swamp' and instead commit to a positive public process to maximise value for the people of South Australia?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:08): We have had—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Let's go back to the start of this project.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right. Let's go back to the start—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier has not yet said anything provocative, apart from going back to the beginning. May he be heard in silence. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —December 2013. Did the proponents meet with the Leader of the Opposition and explain the project and did the Leader of the Opposition offer no—

Mr Marshall: I did explain the project.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Oh—didn't explain, just met. I see.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: What was said over the course of this coffee? I can tell members of the house what happened: there appeared to be a political opportunity. The difference between that meeting, where all was fine when they were explaining their proposal, and where we are today is there is a political opportunity to talk down a project in South Australia's interests. As we seek to rebuild the South Australian economy after the federal Liberal Party chased Holden out of this state, with the connivance of the Leader of the Opposition—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir: standing order 98. The Premier is debating and not responding to the substance of the question.

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully to the Premier. It is hard to hear him because of the racket being made by the Leader of the Opposition. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Mr Speaker, the question was about the value of the land. Let's talk about the value of the land and the proper role that should have been political played by everybody in the political process here. What should have happened is that the Leader of the Opposition's first instinct, that is, to get behind this project and to support it and give it every chance of success. He should have been standing with us presenting a common face to international investors about the importance of investing in South Australia for the future of South Australians.

We assembled this land because we wanted to provide for employment lands in the north-western suburbs of the State of South Australia. When a group of young proponents come to us with an entrepreneurial idea about developing a piece of South Australia and creating jobs for South Australians, when it is brought to us by the Economic Development Board—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is called to order and so is the member for Morialta.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: When it is brought to us by the Economic Development Board and they recommend it to us, we are going to pursue this every single time.

The Leader of the Opposition has three approaches. He talks down projects. When it is a project which is actually underway and ready to go, like the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, he threatens to block it. He either talks it down or he threatens to block it. I think the people of South Australia have woken up to him. Certainly, the business community have woken up to him.

We have the highest level of business confidence in three years despite the efforts of those opposite. The most common thing that is said to me by businesspeople is that they grieve the way in which the opposition goes about prosecuting its case. They see it as negative. They see a Leader of the Opposition with no ideas and no vision for the future of South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Adelaide, Kavel, Hartley, Colton and the deputy leader. I warn the leader, the deputy leader, the member for Hartley and the member for Morialta, and I warn, for the second and the last time, the leader.