House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Local Government Elections Local Government Elections Mr TELFER House of Assembly Flinders Local Government Elections Mr TELFER (Flinders) (14:12): My question is to the Minister for Local Government. Did the minister receive any correspondence from the Electoral Commission regarding late receipt of campaign donation returns? If so, was this prior to 6.30pm on Wednesday 8 February? The Hon. G.G. BROCK House of Assembly Stuart Minister for Local Government Minister for Regional Roads Minister for Veterans Affairs Local Government Elections The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart—Minister for Local Government, Minister for Regional Roads, Minister for Veterans Affairs) (14:12): I thank the member for his question. I think I have mentioned in this house, in answering questions before, that the conversation—which I reported in this house, as I understand it—was that I was advised by the Office of Local Government on about 6.30 on the Wednesday night in the last sitting of parliament. I haven't got the exact date here. My information is that the Electoral Commissioner advised the Office of Local Government late in the afternoon of that particular day. As I said in this house previously, I was advised about that the very next day, the last sitting in the last session of parliament, which was on the Thursday—and again, I have not got the specific dates here. But I think I have reported this in this house before, about the timing and when I was advised about the issue that we have confronted. We had that discussion yesterday, regarding putting the bill through this house, and I congratulate everybody for putting the bill through so quickly. I look forward to the speedy passage through the upper house so that we can get it through the whole system. Then, on the Thursday, I asked for a briefing from the Electoral Commissioner. I stand corrected: I think it was about 11.30 or 12 o'clock on that day, and at 2 o'clock that afternoon, on the Thursday, the last sitting of the parliament, I made a ministerial statement in this house about the exact time frame and when I was advised and when I made the ministerial statement. I think that's the duration and the direction of that, to answer the member for Flinders' question.