Riverbank Precinct

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): Supplementary, sir, to the Deputy Premier: when and why did the government commission this legal opinion from private counsel?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:20): Putting aside the speculation about the nature of the advice—

Mr Marshall: It's on page 52 of the report.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —putting aside that matter—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mitchell and the leader are called to order. Minister.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The seeking and the provision of legal advice through the course of these sorts of projects is highly usual and so, in that context, it would not be unusual for legal advice to be provided. In fact, those members opposite more practised in dealing with initiatives and projects like this would also understand that there is a Crown Solicitor's Office clearing of a project before it goes further through the process, for example, onto the Public Works Committee. In that context, it's not unusual for legal advice to be provided.

Of course, it's also the case that during the course of negotiations for this particular project, as there has been for many other projects, Crown Solicitor's staff were intimately involved in both the negotiations as well as the preparation of documents, including leases and other legal documents and contractual arrangements which the government entered into.