One Community

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:48): A supplementary: is the Premier able to identify to the parliament if there are any other documents that have been signed, in agreements between the Premier and another party, by Mr Kym Winter-Dewhirst on your behalf, of which you say you have no personal approval?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:48): You have to listen very carefully to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition because she reformulates her questions, and I don't accept the premise of that question. I don't accept that my answer gives rise to the way in which she has reformulated the question, because there is a trickiness—

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is on two warnings.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: There is a trickiness about her reformulation. The essence of it is this: I can assist—

Mr Marshall: Yesterday, you said you didn't approve it.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, in plain sight—on 10 February the federal cuts task force meets, including AnglicareSA, SACOSS and other non-government organisations. I announced that money is likely to be spent on a campaign resisting the cuts. That is, I announced in front of all of the media these things. Peter Sandeman, who is the chief executive of Anglicare, suggests that One Community can be the vehicle for a community-driven campaign during the meeting. I committed—this is 10 February—

Ms Sanderson interjecting:

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

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I committed to spending that money and asked my office to follow up with Peter and One Community and to progress the proposal. The reason we know that this was said publicly is because on that day, on 10 February, Lauren Novak, a political reporter with that journal of record, The Advertiser, in an article, called 'Premier Jay Weatherill says taxpayer money could be spent to fight future Federal Government to health, education'—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned for the second and the last time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It states:

MORE taxpayer money could be spent fighting Federal Government cuts to promised...health and education spending, Premier Jay Weatherill has said.

Mr Weatherill held a meeting this morning with education, health, union and business leaders at Parliament House to discuss escalating a campaign against [the] $80 billion of funding cuts outlined in the 2014...Budget.

The State Government has already allocated about $1 million to a ‘Federal Cuts Hurt’ campaign—

Mr Picton interjecting:

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

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I will continue:

—which included television advertisements.

Mr Weatherill said some of that funding remained and would be directed to an escalated campaign, which could include more television advertisements in the lead-up to a federal election expected later this year.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader, if you continue, I will have to throw you out.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: What we do know is that negotiations did occur prior to the date when the formal application was put forward to the government seeking funding approval. So, all of the things that I said yesterday are true. We said we would do it. We then did it, and then we told everybody we did it because it was on a website. It was all about protecting this state from the—

Mr Wingard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mitchell is warned.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —cuts to health and education proposed by the federal Liberal government.