Ministerial Staff

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:26): My question is again to the Minister for Environment and Water. How many public sector employees on the list compiled by the department on the direction of the minister's office did the minister or his Chief of Staff assign to his ministerial office and in what capacity?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (15:27): I outlined this information to the house yesterday. I'm not going to go back to this matter.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: The member for Port Adelaide is better than this. This is an embarrassing matter for the opposition.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister is being provoked. I ask him not to respond to those provoking remarks and I ask members on my left to cease interjecting or I will not be taking points of order about other matters.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: I have said enough about this matter. Mr Speaker, you have cleared me of wrongdoing in this matter. The standards set after 16 years of Labor's abuse of the Public Service, what shocks them—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —what shocks the opposition is that we would do the right thing by the Public Service and not follow the road map of absolute disgrace which they set out over many years, exemplified by none other than the member for West Torrens, who has a sick obsession with the way that I run my ministerial office.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, minister. The member for Mount Gambier and then the deputy leader.