House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Personal Explanation Personal Explanation West Beach Trust Board Appointments West Beach Trust Board Appointments Mr TEAGUE House of Assembly Heysen Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:00): I seek leave to make a personal explanation pursuant to standing order 108. Leave granted. Mr TEAGUE House of Assembly Mr TEAGUE: I rise to make a personal explanation. Yesterday at around this time, by leave the Minister for Planning read out a ministerial statement. He misrepresented the facts and in doing so misrepresented me. I indicate that appointments were made by me following my consideration of the relevant matter of the board appointments and well before the commencement of the caretaker period. After, I might say, months of consultation, including with the Chair and the CEO of West Beach Trust to ensure that potential board members had appropriate skill sets to ensure the capability of the board to achieve its strategic objectives, the Chair, Jane Jeffreys, was reappointed for a further term. Two of the other appointments were put forward from a list of nominees put forward by the City of Charles Sturt and the City of Holdfast Bay, and the current members who were council nominees were reappointed. The three new board members all have extensive and diverse skill sets. I have every confidence that they will make significant individual contributions and that the trust is in very safe hands through their involvement. I can assure the minister that the new members are abundantly qualified and comply with the necessary qualifications and experience as outlined in section 7 of the act. I note that the previous government made appointments to the West Beach Trust Board with terms commencing 1 March 2018 for four years, ending 28 February 2022, one of whom I reappointed. I was advised at the time that, as it was a ministerial appointment of mine and not an appointment by the Governor, a cabinet note was not appropriate. I wrote to the three new board members and the three reappointed board members on 1 February 2022 advising them of their appointment. I indicate that this is the form that we have seen indicated, and I will not expand upon that, other than to indicate it is regrettable that, in circumstances where I have been brought up in an Aussie Rules culture, the new Labor government has indicated a propensity to play the man not the ball. I adverted to this— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member will be heard, but before the member is heard I will draw the house's attention to a number of matters. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! A member, having obtained leave from the Chair, may explain matters of personal significance or of a personal nature, although of course there is no question before the house. That is the case in this instance. However, personal explanations ought not be used to continue debate. They should relate personally to the member raising the matter. The member has the call. Mr TEAGUE House of Assembly Mr TEAGUE: In the circumstances, I indicate to honourable members that the timing of this personal explanation is in circumstances where I acknowledge Minister Champion is new to this place. I was not given prior notice that he would raise this. I have sought any further information that Minister Champion would indicate to me. In the circumstances, as this came out of the blue at question time yesterday, it has taken me this long to identify those facts that I have identified, and so here I am. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! As I say, personal explanations must be confined to matters affecting the member personally. It may not deal with party matters or, in the case of a minister, departmental matters—I emphasise that, member for Heysen—nor be used to make attacks upon other members. I should emphasise, too, that interjections in the course of a personal explanation are generally, of course, unhelpful. I might add, too, that the commentary suggests that personal explanations should be made with notice to the Speaker. That did not occur in this instance.