BURNSIDE COUNCIL

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:28): Can the minister provide details as to what the mayor said to him in regard to police investigations?

The PRESIDENT: The minister does not have to worry about that question.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:29): I had a discussion with the mayor yesterday and, to be quite frank, not a lot went around. My view was quite simple: I want to work with the Local Government Association, and they were there at the meeting. My position with the mayor is that there is a new council, and they will have a new CEO very shortly and I do not want any tarnishing of that council with an ongoing investigation in relation to what happened with the previous council.

This is what is a responsible minister would do—would not sit there and throw comments from the side. From the very beginning it has been this government's intention to fix up the problems in the Burnside council. From the very beginning all you have done is try to political pointscore, so there is a big difference between what I am doing, what this government has done, and what your intentions are. My intentions are to ensure that the Burnside city council can move forward and look after the ratepayers of Burnside, as they are doing right now.