LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:11): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a question relating to local government.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The minister has launched a series of press releases commonly known as the 'Listening to the Challenges' series. On 19 August, the minister issued a press release called 'Listening to the challenges of regional South Australia'. On 22 August, the minister issued a press release called 'Listening to the challenges facing Port Augusta'. On 2 September, the minister issued a press release called 'Listening to the challenges facing Eyre Peninsula'. The releases are substantially similar, with the date and the destination updated.

Local governments around South Australia are known to be rushing invitations to the minister's office to have the minister come and visit so that they can get a 'Listening to the challenges' press release issued in their name, too. Despite the three releases of 2 September, 22 August and 19 August being substantially the same, collectors know that subtle differences can make all the difference.

What they have noticed is that, while all the releases refer to the conviction the minister has 'to the pressing need to restore faith in our political institutions', only the first two contain the following paragraph:

This will build in the reforms of the past couple of years and take into account the lessons arising from the investigation into the former Burnside Council.

This quote was not included in the release on 2 September to Eyre Peninsula. My questions to the minister are:

1. What happened leading up to the 2 September release that meant he no longer had anything to learn from the Burnside council affair?

2. Was the minister advised that for him to suggest he was open to learning anything from the Burnside investigation lacked credibility?

The PRESIDENT: The minister will disregard the opinion in the question.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:13): Thank you, Mr President. I thank the member for his question. I know it upsets the honourable members on the opposition benches that I am actually out there meeting with mayors, regional local government associations and the like. I have had extensive travel throughout the state talking to these mayors, listening to their concerns and also letting them know what I stand for as minister.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Mr President, one of the things I have noticed in regards to local government is their inability to try—I believe, and I make this quite clear wherever I go, that we need to increase the governance and accountability of councils. I use the broader issues of the Burnside investigation to actually put the point there that, if they were to have had powers under the Local Government Act in the very early stages to handle some of these bad behaviour problems, this would never have eventuated into a $1.3 million investigation, costing the taxpayers probably close to, at the end of the day, about $1.5 million.

You may mock it, the Hon. Mr Wade, but, the more you mock in here, the better it is; it makes no difference. The fact is that there is overwhelming support out there for the position I have taken on governance. You talk about the Burnside issue; the Local Government Association supports the position I have taken. The new president, Mr Kym McHugh, supports the position I have taken.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: This is what question time has been reduced to.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Well, that's my answer, Mr Wade. Thank you very much for listening.