Grants and Subsidies

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:56): I have a further question to the Premier. Could the Premier identify any grant or subsidy provided by his department which was approved on the same day that it was applied for, other than to One Community?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:56): I haven't had the opportunity of trawling through every single grant application, but I don't think it is unsurprising at all. In fact, I have—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I can't recall—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Generally speaking, what happens is that the grant applications—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The formal process—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Would you like an answer or would you like to speak amongst yourselves?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: What commonly occurs in relation to grant applications is that there is a series of discussions that occur when community groups approach the government seeking support. Generally speaking, at the end of that process, there is usually a request for that to be formally documented in writing. Often, the negotiations predate the actual formal application. So, it wouldn't be surprising that the actual approval, given that there are discussions that predated the actual letter of application, would occur relatively instantaneously. I understand that's what occurred in this case, and it wouldn't surprise me if there were many cases that fell into this category.