Public Library Funding

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (15:23): My question is to the Minister for Local Government. Can the minister inform the house whether the $20 million funding agreement between the state government and the LGA for library funding will be renewed after June this year?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Local Government) (15:23): I thank the member for the question. In fact, I have had a number of meetings with the LGA, and at their recent statewide meeting the matter was raised by one of the councils. I think from memory it was my own local one at Burnside. I will repeat what I have said to them and publicly since. That is that the Local Government Association, which is the representative of all the councils, is currently in negotiations with the government—in particular, Treasury—in relation to what they see as appropriate for all the council libraries across the state. I repeat what I said then, and that is that we love, on our side of the house, libraries in South Australia. We understand the significance of them across the state.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Ramsay!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: The particulars of the funding, in what order it is, how it is structured and those things are still under negotiation, and I will respect that.