Riverbank Precinct

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): Interesting reading, indeed they are. My question is to the Premier. Did the Premier attend a meeting with a senior officer of DPTI which determined that the government would pay the Walker Corporation $30 million for car parking spaces in the Riverbank development and, if so, does he agree with the Auditor-General's statement that this arrangement lacked financial analysis because no costings had been obtained to support it?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:26): Sometimes you have to take your hat off to the deputy leader: she behaves like a Welsh longbowman. It is extraordinary that she would deliberately take that comment out of context in the Auditor-General's Report.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Could I hear, first of all, what the minister is saying and then I will rule whether it's out of order or not.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is remarkable to try to draw a connection between a costing that was given by the former head of the infrastructure agency for the provision or the procurement of 400 car parks at a cost of $30 million and then coming up with a bogus allegation of some meeting on which it was based.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: the question was quite specifically—

The SPEAKER: Yes, 'Did the Premier attend the meeting?'

Ms CHAPMAN: —whether the Premier attended the meeting at which this was decided.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I think the minister actually addressed that in his last sentence.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is warned.

Mr Pisoni: Last chance today.

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned and he may join her.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: all I have heard to date, sir, is the minister's assertion about drawing an inference between one piece of information and another, nothing to do with whether the Premier—

The SPEAKER: The minister is saying you may be mistaken.

Ms CHAPMAN: No, I don't think he is.

The SPEAKER: That is a tolerable answer.