Lot Fourteen

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:25): My question is to the Minister for Planning.

Dr Close interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Acting leader, please!

Mr TEAGUE: Can the minister inform the house on the leasing strategy for Lot Fourteen?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:25): I can, and again I thank the member for Heysen for this question so I can again make sure that the reputation of Renewal SA is kept intact in the face of awful slurs by members of the opposition.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens will not ask the minister where his CE is. Minister, please continue.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: The Lot Fourteen leasing strategy has been in place for some time; in fact, it was started under the former government. The inaugural tenant was announced in December last year, that being Australia's first Institute for Machine Learning. It will be established by the University of Adelaide in a former women's health centre on the corner of Frome Road and North Terrace. The institute will be home to creative thinkers, researchers and start-ups helping to deliver what is known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens! For that comment relating to 10 years, you are on two warnings.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Separately, what has happened is that there have been some governance arrangements that have been put in place to make sure that the procurement of tenants for Lot Fourteen is done according to structure and strategy, making sure that we have regard to the Office of the Chief Entrepreneur, making sure that they have input and making sure that we curate an appropriate mix of tenants for the start-up hub. This strategy is in place in accordance with Renewal's lease policy and new lease procedure, something that is now part of proper and standard practice.

The Lot Fourteen project team uses a two-phase assessment process to help guide the selection of the most appropriate tenants for the entrepreneurial ecosystem to be established. This tool determines the primary business activity of the proposed tenant in line with the creation and innovation neighbourhood's focus on sectors in defence and space, cyber security, food and wine, health and medical technology, artificial intelligence and robotics, creative industries, digital technology, as well as their role within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Renewal SA has also appointed Colliers International as the leasing agent. That situation has been in place for some months already.

In terms of tenant selection, the appropriate Renewal SA officer must assess tenant applications against the tenant suitability and assessment tools and guidelines. Only prospective tenants who comply with the mandatory elements of the suitability assessment will be considered for available tenancies. There are also contract approval delegations that are in place that essentially provide for the normal and usual delegations that Renewal SA operate in when it comes to which level of the organisation or minister or cabinet needs to sign off on those contract situations.

The reason that I bring this information to the house is so that South Australians can take comfort from the fact that what is happening down at Lot Fourteen has a rigour and a structure around it. It has been designed with best practice principles in mind to make sure that we are getting the right businesses down on that site, the right businesses who want to grow, who want to innovate, who want to work together with other businesses to create an ecosystem and a culture here in South Australia where business says yes and where government helps business to say yes, where we can actually help to keep our young people here by providing them with an ecosystem and a hub that attracts them to stay in this state and to work for businesses who are providing meaningful, interesting and challenging work as we seek to build the economy of the 21^st century.

I am sick and tired of members opposite trying to slur a good organisation, who use this chamber as a way to be able to try to create—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —and insinuate innuendo. We on this side of the chamber will continue to be a responsible, grown-up government and to provide open and transparent information to the people of South Australia.

The SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired.

Ms Cook interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hurtle Vale is called to order.

Ms Cook: Thank you, sir.

The SPEAKER: You're welcome. Member for Reynell.