Grandparents for Grandchildren SA

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (14:06): Just to repeat the question: was any proposal put to the minister enabling her to fund Grandparents for Grandchildren within her own department's budget?

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:06): I thank the member for her question. Just to remind the house, this tender process for a peak body was initiated by the former government; it was opened and closed by the former government, and all of the negotiations and considerations were done without my involvement at all. The Nyland recommendation 116 that was accepted by the Labor government was to have one peak body.

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I do believe that the minister is answering the question, but I will hear the point of order.

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: The question is relevance, sir. The minister was asked whether she received—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right!

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: —advice about funding within existing resources.

The SPEAKER: Yes, it was. The point of order is for relevance, 98. I believe at this stage that is a bogus point of order. The minister is entitled to relay background information in order to elicit an answer that is directly relevant to the question, and I am sure that she will come to that as soon as possible. And she will be heard in silence.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: So there was a process that I was not part of. In that process, it was determined that recommendation No. 2 of the five that were given would be accepted, which was to have one peak body. That went out to tender and, as I said, I was not part of that process. It was my belief that the intention of the department was to fund one peak body and no other funding would be provided. There was no money in any of the accounts anywhere that I have been able to identify in my department so, thankfully, given the new Liberal government works as a cabinet, I was able to negotiate with my ministerial colleagues to fund for three years out of the Department of Human Services budgets.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!