Space Law Conference

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:58): Supplementary: given the minister's indication of the high priority of this for South Australia, why then did he refuse to provide any financial support to the Space Law Conference earlier this year at the University of Adelaide for which the commonwealth had also made a provision of financial support?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:59): I thank the deputy leader for this Dorothy Dixer because my advice to the deputy leader, if she is keen to promote—

Ms Chapman: I've got a copy of the letter.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: —space as a future for Australia—

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

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: —would be to get on to her federal colleagues, in particular the minister, minister Sinodinos, and ask him to agree to form a space agency. That space agency will have funding, and that space agency's funding may well be available to support the very sorts of ventures the deputy leader has just mentioned. But what do we have? What we have is a statement from the federal government that, wait for it, 'We won't have a space agency; we will have another review.' Well, there has been review after review after review, going back to the early 1990s, both Labor and Liberal federal—

The Hon. J.M. Rankine interjecting:

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

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: —both Labor and Liberal federal governments have commissioned review after review and what is the answer of the Liberal Party? Let's have another review.

So the vision the deputy leader has for South Australia's future in space is to get up at the International Astronautical Congress in September and say, 'You know what? We are so committed, we are going to have another review. We are going to have another review.' We will sit there and, while everyone else is looking to the frontiers, the deputy leader will be examining her navel as she has another review.

The funding for the law congress that the deputy leader mentioned has a secret answer, and that is within the funding that might be linked to a space agency, and I would encourage her to go and see her federal colleagues. In fact, we know the opposition don't have a policy on anything—

The SPEAKER: The Speaker is satiated with the answer. The minister will resume his seat.

Ms Chapman: Thank you.

The SPEAKER: Don't get too excited because I am calling the member for Florey.