Hopgood Theatre

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:56): My question is to the Premier. How does the Premier respond to the 7,370 people who have signed a petition to save the Hopgood Theatre?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Industry and Skills) (14:56): It is extraordinary—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The minister will be heard in silence.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: It is extraordinary what's going on on that side. We will learn in a very short period of time how the former treasurer, the member for West Torrens, went into buckets all over the place looking for money that he could not continue funding that he could take out and stick into his little $12 million surplus, the phony surplus that he told us we had before the election in the Mid-Year Budget Review, even though he was briefed—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! Yes, we will hear more about the Hopgood Theatre. Minister.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —well before the election and well before making public comments about this wafer-thin—

Ms HILDYARD: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Minister, please be seated. There is a point of order. I take it the point of order is about standing order 98.

Ms HILDYARD: Mr Speaker, relevance.

The SPEAKER: Yes. Minister, could you please bring it back to the substance of the question. Thank you.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Of course, it's very relevant—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left will cease interjecting.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —to the subject of the question. The facts are that there was no funding put into the forward estimates by the member for West Torrens. This is this perception, or this deception—'deception', I think, is a fairer word to the people of South Australia—this wafer-thin, phony $12 million surplus. After he sold all the furniture and the silver, he then went to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —all the buckets of money around the place that were due for renewal of contracts. He didn't renew them, didn't fund them, so they could blame somebody else. But I am pleased to advise—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —the house that I have been advised by the Department for Industry and Skills. I met with Arts SA about this very matter. We are working with Country Arts to help identify a sustainable funding model for the ongoing operation of the Hopgood Theatre. We have found funding. It must have been hiding from the previous treasurer, this $110,000. We found money for the 2018 financial year to give them time to explore alternative funding to continue the operation of the Hopgood Theatre.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my left will cease interjecting.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: My understanding, according to the briefing that was given to me by Country Arts, is that there is no other community theatre that is funded by state government contributions. It is a very unusual situation that has been going on for 10 years. My understanding is that it was a temporary fix because the government at the time built the TAFE facility in the city for performing arts and it was no longer required by TAFE.

There is no rent paid by the Don Hopgood Theatre. It has a peppercorn rent of $1 plus GST every year, but we are continuing the funding—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —for 12 months. We are working with the council to get a solution for this Labor-made problem. We are working with the council and other interested parties so that this theatre can continue to operate.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Reynell, I warn the member for Mawson for the first time and I call to order and warn the member for Badcoe. The member for Reynell has the call.