Question Time

One Community

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): My question is to the Premier. What responsibility does the Premier accept following the Auditor-General's finding that his department did not properly administer a $750,000 grant to the One Community organisation?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for the Arts) (14:31): I accept responsibility that that administrative process wasn't up to scratch, and we have put in place the measures to ensure that that will be improved. But let's be absolutely clear about what was found, it appears, from the Auditor-General, and that is that the particular grant was consistent with the guidelines, guidelines which have since been strengthened. It also found that the grant was applied to the purpose for which it was granted.

It also disposes of that nonsense that was running around that somehow the grant application was approved on the day it was received. All the misinformation about this so-called One Community grant has been dispelled here. We maintain our position that we were entitled to, and will continue to, campaign against the $80 billion cut to health and education that was laid down in that Hockey-Abbott budget. To give you some idea of the success, we have secured an additional $125 million as a consequence of—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —the campaigning efforts we have made against the education cuts. There is still another $210 million that has been cut from South Australian schools, and we are not going to abandon our campaign. We are going to continue to campaign against those cuts in education that are affecting South Australian schools, Catholic schools and public schools. This is a commonwealth government that has turned its back on a signed agreement with a state government. It is unacceptable, and we are going to continue to campaign against those cuts.

The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Heysen, Morialta and Colton, the deputy leader, the member for Davenport, the member for Adelaide—if it would not be bullying to do so—and the members for Stuart and Morialta.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: can I ask that you withdraw that comment?

The SPEAKER: An imputation was made by the Hon. Michelle Lensink. I have just responded to it. Leader.