MINISTER'S OVERSEAS TRIP

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:32): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Leader of the Government on the subject of overseas travel and Ms Laura Lee.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Members will be aware of the Premier's recent overseas trip in early June, which won—

The Hon. B.V. Finnigan: It didn't cost as much as your 30 grand little jaunt.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: If the Hon. Mr Finnigan wants to compare the Premier's $1 million-plus spent on overseas travel with my travel costs, I am very happy to—

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Lucas is out of order by responding to the Hon. Mr Finnigan.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I just can't hear myself think for the constant interjections, Mr President.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Badgering.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Badgering.

The PRESIDENT: I can't hear yourself think, either.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: One media cynic referred to it as a magical mystery tour. As members will be aware, the Premier was fortunate enough to be able to catch up with Ms Laura Lee in London for a dinner to discuss matters of mutual interest, and then, fortuitously for the Premier, a couple of days later he was able to catch up with Ms Lee in New York, again for a dinner and to catch up with matters of mutual interest. The minister indicated soon afterwards, I think in late June, that Ms Lee had indicated, for what he deemed or termed professional and family circumstances, that she was unable to continue with the appointment as it had originally been contemplated.

The minister himself will be aware of his own overseas travel: some 16-plus overseas trips since he has been minister, and the opposition understands that Ms Lee has been assisting the minister in organising an upcoming visit to Europe to consider issues of urban design and other related issues as well. Finally, members will be aware that many members of the media are openly speculating at the moment that the minister, in the next 12 to 18 months, will be standing down from his position to allow the Hon. Mr Finnigan to move into a ministerial portfolio. My questions are:

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Who is the CEO of the Department of Trade and Economic Development announced today?

1. What is the budget for the minister's proposed overseas trip and who will be travelling with the minister on that trip?

2. Will the minister be catching up with Ms Lee whilst he is overseas to discuss matters of mutual interest?

3. In the interests of ensuring that taxpayers' money is not being wasted, will the minister assure this house that he will not be standing down from his ministerial position in the next 12 to 18 months?

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) (14:35): I would have thought hypothetical questions are clearly out of order: to ask about a trip that I have not even gone on yet, that I haven't even planned or booked is a bit outrageous. Clearly, the honourable member has some public servant who is breaching the Public Sector Act in terms of supplying the honourable member with information.

Perhaps we do need an ICAC, after all, for these corrupt public servants who are actually breaching the law and telling the honourable member. Perhaps the Hon. Mr Lucas's telephone should be one that you would tap all the time: you might pick up a few journalists he is talking to. He has been peddling himself around to every journalist in Adelaide with his views. Sadly, he has too many of them who are not objective enough to filter the information that is being provided.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Yes, attack the media again.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Well, the honourable member mentioned Professor Lee. That article in TheIndependent Weekly was one of the most disgraceful and dishonest articles. The photograph, as I understand it, included one of the officers of the consulate in New York, but it did not stop that particular journal from making a complete misrepresentation. That is the sort of information and muckraking that is going around.

As far as I am concerned, this government is going to rise above this sort of sewage flow that we have heard from people like the Hon. Rob Lucas. He has been here now for, what is it, 28 years, and this is what we get. This is the future of the Liberal Party—the future looking backwards. In fact, the honourable member has actually been promoted, and that's how desperate they are for talent. At least within the Labor Party, we have some up-and-coming talent within our party. They certainly don't have it over there. They have got to have these people who have been around for 28 years peddling the same old lies.

Wouldn't it be great if the Hon. Mr Lucas came up with something positive for South Australia? He is supposed to be shadow minister for finance. Why doesn't he tell us how the Liberal Party would finance all these policies that they are talking about? Why doesn't he do that? We know what he was like in opposition: 'Red Ink' Rob. The budget was in deficit every single year he was there and we had that incredible fudge. He went to the election in 2006 pledging not to sell ETSA and then he did. Of course—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Dawkins has a point of order.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: On relevancy, sir. What this particular line of answer has to do with the question escapes me and, I think, many other members.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: The point is that this parliament—

The PRESIDENT: Order! I have to rule on the point raised by the Hon. Mr Dawkins. I have given it consideration, and it sounds something like the answers I used to get when I used to ask the Hon. Mr Lucas questions. The Hon. Mr Holloway.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: As I said, I have not yet finalised any details of any future travel I might make, and really these sorts of questions are quite out of order. It really reflects upon the members of the opposition that this is the best that they can do—personal attacks. That question was not only aimed at me but mentions Professor Laura Lee. We have already seen what the media do with that, and no doubt they will get plenty of their cheer squad in the media who will be quite happy to play this up and say how wonderful—

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Attacking the media again!

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Why don't you ring up the ABC and tell them how clever you are? Why don't you ring up and tell them, 'Look, I asked this really clever question about Laura Lee, so perhaps you can get the minister on to talk about all the things that are irrelevant'? Don't talk about South Australia's future because they don't have a plan for it. Don't talk about what should be done in any of the areas of need in South Australia because they haven't got an idea.

They are just this sour whingeing opposition. They cannot get over the election loss. They are going to keep on whingeing for the next four years and if they damage South Australia in the process, too bad. I would hope that at least some members in this parliament—some of the non-Liberal members at least—would see the need to rise above that, but if the Liberals want to sink into the sewer, then let them go down into it.