Electorate Offices

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (14:23): Supplementary, sir: can the Premier please update the house on matters regarding other electorate offices?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:23): I thank the member for Chaffey for his excellent question because, let me tell you, they were very defensive on that side of the chamber when I was trying to provide information to the house—information that I think every single member should be aware of. There are issues in electorate offices from time to time. We are quite aware that there are issues regarding matters in electorate offices. I had no idea there were so many issues with regard to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —electorate offices presided over by those opposite. They seem very defensive today—very, very defensive. They love throwing the mud. They don't like anybody raising any legitimate questions about the performance of the electorate offices which they are presiding over, and the issues that have been raised with me are very serious. In fact, if they were true—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Cheltenham is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, in fact, I don't think they could be true. I don't think they could be because there is no way certain members would still remain in this parliament. It begs the question: what does the Leader of the Opposition know about issues within the Badcoe electorate office, within the Light electorate office, within the Reynell electorate office? I have just heard about others that I will probably go into as soon as I have been able to finalise the issues with regard to this.

Sir, let me tell you about some of the things that really concern me about what was happening in the member for Light's electorate office, a stalwart of the Labor Party. Bradley Johnson, who worked as a trainee—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The member for Light is a Labor Party stalwart. Apparently now the Leader of the Opposition doesn't think the member is a stalwart, or maybe he doesn't know what a stalwart is.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I would describe the member for Light as a stalwart of the Labor Party; maybe he doesn't. But, let me tell you, Bradley Johnson, who worked as a trainee in this member's office said, 'I would wake up some mornings unable to face Tony in the office, so I would call in sick.'

What we would like to know in this house is what has the Leader of the Opposition done about this? What action has he taken? Has he counselled the member for Light? Is there something we need to know about in this place—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —or has he further information regarding what went on in the Badcoe office? We know there have been some transfers of staff. We know that one member of staff from the Badcoe office is now in the West Torrens office. The big question we need to ask is: does the member for West Torrens have any information regarding what potentially went on in the Badcoe electorate office?

We know about very serious allegations within the electorate office of Reynell, and we are also concerned about others. The reality is that I will be asking further questions of the Treasurer overnight regarding some of these very serious matters that have been raised regarding electorate offices.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The question is, though, the Leader of the Opposition often talks—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —about leadership: where is it? Sitting behind him is the member for West Torrens—

Mr Picton interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Kaurna!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —who was famously described in the front page of The Advertiser as 'c-bomb Tom'—c-bomb Tom! What were the consequences?

Mr Malinauskas: It was wrong!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It was wrong—the Leader of the Opposition—

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —defending his mate the member for West Torrens, the guy who's actually pulling the strings. He was wrong. The 'Tiser got it wrong, the ICAC got it wrong; there was no bullying whatsoever in that ministerial office with the former Treasurer, the former minister, discharging his duties.

Well, that is the standard of the Australian Labor Party. It's in their DNA. But it is time for the Leader of the Opposition to front up and tell us what he knows about what went on because I'm quite sure it's all going to come out.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the Leader of the Opposition! Before I call the member for West Torrens, I warn the member for Cheltenham, I call to order the Minister for Innovation and Skills, I call to order the member for Hurtle Vale and the member for Wright, the member for Kaurna and the Deputy Leader. I warn the Deputy Premier.