Question Time

Female Facilities Program

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:12): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Minister, today representatives from clubs across our state were in parliament calling for the minister to reverse his cruel $24 million cut to the Female Facilities Program.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: Point of order: this is clearly a speech and not a question.

The SPEAKER: Yes, if the member would like to introduce argument, opinion or facts—let's say facts—there really needs to be leave sought, so would you please either introduce facts with leave or please rephrase the question.

Ms HILDYARD: I will rephrase the question, thank you, Mr Speaker. Will the minister reinstate the $24 million specific Female Facilities Program so that women and girls who play sport can have access to the same facilities as men and boys?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:13): I thank the member for Reynell for her question and note that we have been here eight months now and that is her first question on sport to me in this chamber, so it has taken a while. It is her first question on sport to me in this chamber, and I do note that, Mr Speaker.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order, minister. Please be seated for one moment. The member for West Torrens on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The minister is required to answer to the substance of the question and not make personal reflections on members.

The SPEAKER: I respectfully ask the minister, yes, to please return to the substance of the question and not reflect on things like how many questions the member may have asked. Thank you, minister. I am listening to the answer.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I note that the member pointed out some people that she had here in the gallery, and I welcome them here into parliament. I hope they are very buoyed by what we are doing and the money we have committed to sport going forward. What I would do and what I would say first up—

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Mawson!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —is I would apologise for the 16 years of Labor government and the fact that they feel they have been let down. I can appreciate that, and I can appreciate them feeling let down. What we will do and what we have done, and I outlined it in my ministerial statement, is our $24 million commitment we have made to community grassroots sports with football, cricket and netball, and we are very keen to work with the other sports.

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The member for Reynell yells out that it is $10 million. I am happy to break it down for her and happy to do the maths because she is out there saying that we have cut $24 million, which is totally untrue, Mr Speaker, and I will talk you through it so that we can add it up—

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Reynell!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —just so that it is clear for everyone, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: I'm listening.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: When I came into this job, I sat down first up and I said, 'The female facilities project, $14 million has been spent. Labor have been in government for 16 years. They have spent $14 million on female facilities. Fantastic! How much has been delivered? What is on the ground?' That is the question I asked: 'What is on the ground?' There was $14 million spent. The answer: $250,000 worth of projects on the ground. I said, 'Where is the rest of the money?'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: They said, 'It's in bank accounts. It's with clubs waiting to get delivered.' So it was taking a long, long time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: While the intent might have been good, the delivery was poor. We weren't getting results, and South Australian taxpayers deserve results for their funding. So, the previous government had spent $14 million in 16 years on this project, and we said—

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is warned.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —we want to get better results. So I took that $10 million, I went to the Treasurer and he has given us a commitment for another $5 million in the third year. We are putting $15 million on the table, and we have partnered with the SANFL, and we have partnered with Cricket Australia, or SACA, and we have partnered with netball as well.

What these sports have said is, 'We like your project that much we're going to tip in $1 million each as well because we think that this is going to deliver good projects for our community,' and I think that is fantastic. So we are putting in $15 million, the two sporting organisations are putting in $1 million each and we are going to do matched funding. We are going to work with councils to make sure that we get projects that they want to see delivered, the sports want to see delivered, the communities want to see delivered and we want to see delivered.

That is a partnership. They may not know what that is like on their side, but we want to work in partnerships with community clubs, with sporting organisations, and we have put that program forward. What we have said for the other sports that don't fit under this program is, 'We want to talk and work with you, but we have the Community Recreation and Sport Facilities fund and you will be prioritised through that.' We are investing money in sport, and I can go on about the $19 million we have put into the State Sports Park for soccer. We have gone into—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: They say it was them, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Again, I went and I sat down with the department, and I said, 'These projects that the Labor government have talked about. Have you got the money in the bank ready to go?' Do you know what they said? They said, 'No.' They said, 'It needs to come from the budget,' and the budget delivered it. In the bank account, when I got there, there was $20 million for sport over the next four years. We have put more than $75 million in, and we will continue to support sport in this state.

The SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired. I call the following members to order: the Minister for Transport and the member for Badcoe. I warn for a first time the member for Mawson. The member for West Torrens was interjecting throughout that whole answer and he is called to order.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Well, for part of the answer.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: He is called to order. The member for Reynell has the call.