Mining Industry

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (14:44): A supplementary: do farming communities want the right of veto?

The SPEAKER: The question is in order. Minister.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:44): Of course it is. Of course it's a good question. I am sure they do. That is the conversation—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wright is warned.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is warned for a second and final time.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: With all the knowledge over there about the regions—

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —all the knowledge, the shadow country cabinet: 'We come to the regions. Oh, we haven't been here for 4½ years, but we're back. We care about regions.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: What a load a load of rubbish! What I would say to the member for Giles is that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —I'm sure country communities, farmers, are looking for the best deal that they can get. They have opinions, just like everyone else has a counteropinion. What I would like to—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: What's your opinion? Tell us.

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is on two warnings.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: What I would like to say to the member for Giles is that this has been an ongoing conversation for some time now. In my travels around South Australia—and I have travelled to nearly every region in South Australia since becoming a minister—everyone has a point of view, everyone has an opinion, everyone has a wish and everyone has a want—

The Hon. D.C. van Holst Pellekaan: And they're entitled to it.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —and they are entitled to that. We all have opinions. On this side of the house, I think we have a sensible opinion. We have a democracy on this side of the house, unlike that side of the house. We have the ability to have our free speech, unlike those on the other side.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: We're not run by the union movement.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: We're not run by the ideologies of what your bosses tell you to do and what they tell you to say. But what I will say to you is that farmers and the people—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —of regional communities are a whole lot smarter than you think they are.

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

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is warned for a second and final time. The member for Finniss and then the member for Florey. The member for Finniss.