Canberra Ministerial Business

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (14:52): My question is to the Deputy Premier. Did the Deputy Premier travel to Canberra yesterday and, if so, was it at taxpayers' expense?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy) (14:52): I am glad to be asked this question actually. Yesterday I did, indeed—I was thinking about having this as a government question so it's quite useful to have it from the opposition. I did indeed go to Canberra yesterday on South Australian government business. I was invited to a dinner with the Prime Minister and ministers, and I also spent the afternoon having ministerial meetings relevant to my portfolio.

The importance of a relationship with Canberra should never be underestimated. Of course, we all expect governments to make decisions purely on the evidence before them presented by diligent public servants, but the reality is that advocacy is an important part of this. Making sure that our needs and our special circumstances are understood by Canberra, particularly when we are a state with a relatively small population—around 7 per cent of Australia's population—we need to make sure that we are being heard clearly.

I take every opportunity that is afforded to me to be able to be in the same room with federal ministers, with the Prime Minister, with the Treasurer and, of course, with my other ministerial counterparts. As I have already answered in a question to the Leader previously about the very important issue of international student visas and the potential for some capping of some providers in the number of international students they will be able to teach in the future, it was very important for me to be able to spend time with Andrew Giles last night, explaining to him exactly why South Australia is special and different and needs to have due consideration. It was not the first time he had heard it and it is not the last time he will hear it, but it is extraordinarily important.

There has been some question of that dinner costing some people money. It did not cost me any money. I didn't use either private or government money to spend on the dinner itself. I was invited to it, but, frankly, if the Prime Minister is going to invite me to a dinner where he has business leaders, as it turns out, and also his front bench, I am going to turn up. It was not the only thing I was doing in Canberra.

I love Canberra. It is beautiful place, and my brother has lived there on and off for a few years, but it is not a place I would necessarily go for a holiday—without meaning to in any way denigrate Canberra. However, when we make decisions about whether we go to Canberra—or to any other state—during the work week, we do it on the basis of the best interests of the state, and that is what I did.