APY Lands Visit

Mr KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (15:15): My question is to the Premier. Does he stand by his response to ABC's David Bevan, who said, 'But hang on, you were walking around with two armed elite cops'? The Premier responded:

No, no, that's not correct. I wasn't walking around with them at all. They were just stationed on the lands at the same time that I was there.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (15:15): Absolutely. As I just stated to the house, I was at no point walking around the lands. The only time that I can think of ever standing right next to them while we were on the lands was at the barbecue that we held at Umuwa on the first night. They joined the barbecue that was held for all of the people that the party got to—

Mr Koutsantonis: That's not what you said.

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens will cease interjecting today.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I said I wasn't walking around with them on the lands, and that is correct. They attended the barbecue that was held on the first night, Tuesday night last week. That was a meeting—or a function, I suppose—that was attended by plenty of people on the APY lands. I was pleased to meet with police officers who had come from other parts of the APY lands, people who worked at RASAC, people who worked for APY and, of course, the new chief executive of Nganampa Health.

The STAR Force officers were there at that point. I think there was another point, right at the very end as we were about to drive off the lands, where we thought we would get a photograph on the lands, but there was no time when they were walking through the lands with me as the Premier of this state.

So, as I said, it was a very enjoyable visit. It is a very sacred part of our state and a very important part of our state, but it is not a part of our state without its own level of complexity. That is why I take the opportunity each year to drive myself in—I don't fly in and fly out like some people have previously—and I always enjoy it. I think by spending that time on the lands you get a better perspective and you actually meet people. Often, when you are on the lands, it is the chance meetings that convey the most to you as a member of parliament.

Setting up a series of appointments is always an important part of planning one of these trips, but on every trip that I have been on you go into a community and you actually get an opportunity to meet people who are working in and contributing to the various communities on the APY lands. As I said earlier, this trip covered the areas of Indulkana, Mimili, Umuwa, Ernabella, Kenmore Park, and then, on the final day, Fregon. I very much enjoyed that trip.