DUBBO

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (14:58): My question is directed to the Leader of the Government. Given the leader's dismissive comments about the New South Wales regional city of Dubbo in this council last week, will he accept the invitation from the local mayor and Independent state MP to visit that city?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister Assisting the Premier in Public Sector Management) (14:59): It wasn't Dubbo that I was dismissing: rather, it was the South Australian Liberal Party. I said their vision was—and I used Dubbo as a representative of a smaller, perhaps larger, regional town. I was very happy to speak on 2DU Dubbo the other day to explain it and I was able to say to them that in actual fact Dubbo has a very progressive 20 year plan. I was able is to say to them that I just wish that we, in Adelaide, had the sort of support that exists in Dubbo where I believe the local community does not have the knockers, whingers and all these others who continually knock progress and that they don't obviously have opposition within the council over there that is completely anti-growth and anti-development like we appear to have with the opposition here. In fact, if one looks at Dubbo, it is growing fairly rapidly.

It is a thriving city, and that is why I have to apologise to the people of Dubbo—because, in fact, they are far more progressive than the South Australian opposition. I should have picked an example of a town that was going backwards, that was declining, that did not wish to embrace new ideas or new growth or that does not want people from overseas to come and help them. I admit that I was wrong to compare the Liberal opposition with Dubbo because it is, I acknowledge, much more progressive than the members of the opposition in this parliament.