POPULATION GROWTH

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (14:33): I have a supplementary question: does the government have a strategy to ensure that the proportion of the population outside the Greater Adelaide area increases beyond the 19 per cent that the minister has referred to indirectly?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:34): What we have to do is try to grow our economy as best we can. We want it to grow as fast as it can, and that will depend on the opportunities available. If Outback areas have a significant mining development, those areas will grow much faster than the city on a proportionate basis. Other areas will obviously face greater difficulties. The Riverland, for example, is a place that is facing difficulties at the moment because of the lack of water. It is an area that has been heavily dependent on irrigation industries and, if there is no water in that region coming down the river to irrigate, that is having an impact on the economy.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Well, it will over time, but you also need rain. If we look at what is happening in Victoria—for example, in Melbourne—their reservoirs are at record low levels. Those upstream states may be using more water than South Australia, but their populations are, of course, much greater than in this state. I am very pleased that we are now going through the process of establishing, for the first time since federation, a management structure that at least has some chance of managing this on a proper basis—on the basis that takes into consideration the needs of all its constituent parts. As we can see, even with the floodwater issue in Adelaide council areas, getting agreement on these things is not always easy.