House of Assembly Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2) 54 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Register of Members' Interests Register of Members' Interests The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Register of Members' Interests The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (15:08): My question is to the member for Finniss. Can the member for Finniss explain why his declaration of interests shows that he stays at a home in Victor Harbor when his Liberal Party profile says he has been a Mount Compass farmer for 35 years? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain. Leave granted. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education is trying to educate me at the moment, but it's okay; I'm just trying to listen. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Thank you, sir. When the member was elected the member for Finniss he lived at Mount Compass, which was 65 kilometres from the CBD, but on his election he moved to Victor Harbor, which is 84 kilometres from the CBD—which is over the 75-kilometre distance required to claim the country members' accommodation allowance. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Finniss has the call. Order! Mr BASHAM House of Assembly Finniss Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (15:09): Interestingly, in March 2018, I was elected as the member for Finniss. Previous to that, I had been dairy farming for many years. My family had been dairy farming since the 1830s—1838 I think we started dairy farming in South Australia. One of the hardest decisions I had to make on becoming a member of this chamber was to decide that I could no longer dairy farm alongside my role as member of parliament. I made the decision that it would be more appropriate to have a member of staff live on the farm and run the farm and then I would move to a more suitable location within the electorate, not far from my electorate office in the largest town of the electorate, Victor Harbor. That enabled me to concentrate on my role as a member of parliament and I have been doing that ever since. I have also, since deciding that not living on the farm was still not enough to be able to concentrate on my member of parliament role, now leased the farm out. The farm is run by someone totally different and I have no involvement in the farm operations at all. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member for King has the call.