TRANSPORT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:39): I have a further supplementary question. How many people participated on the tour?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:39): There were approximately 33 people. Some of the participants on that tour attended the European part and others attended the US part.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: So you couldn't tell whether he was there, out of 33?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: I remind the honourable member that he asked a question similar to this some time back when I indicated that I thought minister Conlon did deviate from the planned program on one occasion to go to sign up or negotiate a tram contract. I think he and Rod Hook attended that particular negotiation. Those of us who were there had other meetings. I can report that minister Conlon also had another meeting in Washington with the embassy. I know where the honourable members are coming from, but what I can say is that my colleague and I—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: —were busy during the entire visit. Even though we both attended most of those meetings, there were occasions on which we both went to meetings that were not part of the tight schedule because we used the opportunity to have meetings in relation to other parts of our portfolios. If the best the opposition can do is try to raise some gossip about this visit, it will not succeed. I can assure the member that both minister Conlon and I were very active members of that visit. We went to the—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Isn't it amazing? We are eight months from a state election and, if this opposition wanted to stand up to the people of South Australia and say that it was not fit to govern, it was bereft of ideas and it had no idea where it was going, it could not do it any better than by its performance today.