Mobile Phone Towers

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (15:02): Fortuitously, Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary. Are there any plans to make funding available for other parts of the state to fix their blackspots?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (15:02): I thank the member for Narungga for his question, another example of an Independent looking out for their community's interest, releasing themselves from the burden of suppression, another member who is demonstrating his capacity to deliver while leaving the pretenders who care about regional South Australia. We are always looking for an opportunity, sir. The member for—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Narungga is entitled to his answer, and he will get it. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: I will draw the member for Narungga's attention to the fact that, in regard to the Limestone Coast mobile phone tower proposition, what we were able to achieve is the coalescence of state government working with local government in conjunction with industry. At least to the best of my knowledge, I haven't been in receipt of a proposition from councils in and around Yorke Peninsula to do the same thing. Telstra also worked with—I am trying to remember if it's 11; I can't remember the exact number—a number of seven councils and the Limestone Coast to bring this together.

Should the state government be in receipt of such a proposition with respect to Yorke Peninsula and other districts of the Copper Coast or other parts of the member for Narungga's electorate, then that would be something we would actively consider. What has made this project stack up with respect to the Limestone Coast is that collaboration between industry, namely Telstra, local government and state government and, hopefully, the federal government.

We as a state government have appreciated some of the advocacy from the member for Narungga and other policy areas of his concern that we have been able to get some movement on. We would love to add this to the list should such a proposition be put to us in the same way we saw come from local government and industry within Telstra. Notwithstanding that, the focus, and the priority of the government as it stands with respect to blackspot funding, is addressing the longstanding issues in the South-East.