GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:13): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the leader of government business in this place a question regarding the management of government business in this place.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: As members would be aware and as the minister no doubt is keenly aware, the minister is now the minister for everything in this place. In addition to her own six portfolios, she now covers over 30 other portfolios, representing 12 ministers in the other place. My question is simple: how does the minister propose to justify to the people of South Australia that this is a respect paid by the Rann government in treating the Legislative Council as a genuine house of review?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (15:14): The government does hold this place in very high regard. As I regularly put on the record, this is the place where the real work is done. I regularly remind our colleagues in the other place that, indeed, this is where the real work is done. We know that generally the government of the day in the House of Assembly holds the majority and therefore legislation generally passes through that place much more easily because of that majority.

However, in this place we have a very proud history where I think no political party has had a majority in its own right for something like 20-odd years. I might stand corrected, but if it is not 20, it is close to that. It has a very proud history of being a place of a range of different parties and views. We have always had a fairly high representation of minor parties and Independents in this place and, indeed, currently it is basically a third, a third, a third—a third Labor, a third opposition and a third minor parties and Independents. It is a rich tapestry in this place, a place where indeed numbers and legislation cannot be taken for granted and all decisions have to be considered carefully.

It is important that this place is not an adversarial place. We actually have to work with each other in a reasonably cooperative way to advance legislation in this place. It means, in many situations, a number of quite in-depth negotiations and often compromises, and give and take. That is what we know brings about a level of depth and breadth to our legislation which is in the broader interest of the South Australian community, generally speaking.

I assure honourable members that I take my new responsibility as leader or acting leader in this place very seriously. I assure members that I will do everything I can to uphold the integrity of this chamber and progress the work of government and other work in this place, and to do that in a very fair-minded and reasonable way, as I have always done in this place. The only precedent that has been set today is that I believe I am the first female leader in this place, but that is the only precedent—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: You just said you are acting leader.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, acting leader.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: So are you acting leader or leader? If you are only acting, that's no precedent.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: In terms of being the sole minister in this place, I am not the first minister to be the sole minister in this place. Indeed, my colleague Paul Holloway was the only minister in this place for some time when we recall that the late Terry Roberts was unfortunately ill for some time. The Hon. Paul Holloway did a truly remarkable job and is living proof that the work of this chamber can in fact be done by a single minister. He did an extraordinary job and there were no adverse effects on the integrity of this chamber, the business of government or the other business that comes through here. He is living proof that it can be done, and he did a remarkable job. I also understand that Barbara Wiese was also a sole minister in this place for some time as well, so it is not a precedent.

It has been done on a number of occasions before where there has been only a single minister in this place, so I can assure the chamber that you are in good hands and we simply need to get on with business. I was extremely disappointed to see that there is only one second reading speech on the Supply Bill today, which is very disappointing. After such a lengthy break, we have only one person down for a second reading speech today. We need to do better than that. Anyway, I look forward to getting through the business of the government.