Community Wastewater Management System

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:03): Nothing for calisthenics then, sir, is there? My question is to the Minister for Water. Why was it not possible for you to respond sooner than 17 June 2020 to my letter to you of 22 August 2019 suggesting a meeting with the Tea Tree Gully council on progressing work on the Community Wastewater Management System?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (15:03): I thank the member for Florey—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett and the member for Reynell can leave for the remainder of question time.

The honourable members for Morphett and Reynell having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: I would like to hear the minister.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: I thank the member for Florey for her question. I know this is an issue that means a lot to her and her community. I have highlighted in this place before that, along with the very significant advocacy from the member for Newland and the member for Morialta, the member for Florey has written to me about this issue, in sharp contrast—and we are allowed a little compare and contrast—with Labor members in this house, who haven't made any attempt to talk about the CWMS in the north-eastern suburbs until their startling epiphany a few weeks ago.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order: the member for Florey was interested particularly in why her correspondence had been neglected, not what correspondence might have come from other members of parliament.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee doesn't have a grieve. I am not going to throw him out, but I will take it on board. I would like to hear the minister's answer.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just that little bit of compare and contrast was important, but I will move straight on.

The SPEAKER: Yes, come back to it, thank you.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: Member for Florey, I understand that my office has been attempting to set up a meeting between us over the last 24 hours or so. There is a huge amount of work being done in the CWMS—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —and we have been working on this issue for many, many months. We signed the direction to SA Water many days before Labor's policy announcement on this. We do look forward to working with the member for Florey, her community and those members of Tea Tree Gully council who feel they want to work in a proactive and responsible way, serving their community. I look forward to getting on and delivering this upgraded CWMS alongside that community. This will start very, very soon

People will not need to wait for some distant Labor Party commitment to get this done. They had to wait for 16 years, but we are getting onto it. I have talked before about that oxymoronic Labor Listens tour. They stumbled upon the CWMS issue. We knew about it a long time ago and we are getting on with fixing it.

Ms Bedford: Following on—

The SPEAKER: With all respect, member for Florey, the time has expired, I do apologise, and the question before the Chair is that the house note grievances. Before I call the member for Reynell, member for Florey, I will remember that for next question time to ensure that you get due opportunity for your question.