Question Time

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BOARDS

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Regional Development a question about regional development boards.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: As members would recall, in the last sitting week I asked a couple of questions in relation to regional development boards and, in particular, the Eyre Peninsula Regional Development Board in relation to representation when we realised that there was no-one from agriculture, aquaculture or mining represented on that particular board. I have since been informed that the Limestone Coast Regional Development Board does not have any representatives from forestry or the wine industry. As members would be well aware, forestry—notwithstanding that the minister did not know the length of a rotation in recent questioning—

The Hon. G.E. Gago: I did; I got it right, too, what's more.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: You did not get it right, and if you think you got it right you are delusional. We know that forestry and the viticulture industry are two of the biggest industries in the South-East and they do not have any representation on the board. I have also been advised that, in the whole process of selection, the RDAs were to prepare a matrix, if you like, of what skill sets and what industries were represented during that initial selection process to identify the gaps and for them to be filled at a later date. My question to the minister is: was the matrix used to inform the selection process to fill the deficiencies, or gaps, in the skills and industries?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:26): Mr President, the election of members to the RDA boards is really a matter for each of the regions—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, it is a selection process in the way that people are put forward and then appointed, but that process is a matter for the RDA and its regions. I find it quite incredible that somehow the opposition member, the Hon. David Ridgway, believes or is suggesting that I am responsible for the lack of participation of locals in their preparedness to put themselves forward to participate on the RDA boards. That is just an absolute nonsense.

This state government did encourage and urge people to participate. We spent a lot of time highlighting the importance of the RDA, the structure and its boards, and our officers were out there making people aware and promoting the thing, as were local councils, because it is a tripartite structure—it is federal government, state government and local government—and all levels of government did contribute to making people aware and encouraging people to participate.

To be suggesting that in some way the state government is responsible for the lack of interest in some areas and the lack of preparedness to put some people forward is an absolute nonsense. It is the federal government that takes charge of that election process—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Selection.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —the selection process; I stand corrected. It is responsible for that and it has carriage of that. I am happy to forward these issues—in fact, the honourable member himself can forward these issues—on to the minister, Simon Crean. But, just to remind people, just as a bit of background around these nomination processes, in South Australia the RDA committees were established back in 2009-10 under an MOU involving, as I have said, the Australian and South Australian governments and the Local Government Association.

Members were appointed for terms of either two to four years, and some of those expired in November 2011 and some will expire in 2013. On 18 August minister Crean wrote to me regarding the RDA. In fact, he wrote to me telling me or advising me about the nomination and appointment processes. Minister Crean then advised in his letter of 18 August 2011 that the tenure of the 48 members of the RDA associations was due to expire on 20 November 2011 and that as the time to make appointments was short he proposed to extend that tenure of members until new appointments were made. We supported that. I think that was a wise thing to do, given the shortness of the period.

On 14 September I wrote to minister Crean advising that I supported that proposal to extend those board appointments, and that was in an attempt to try to maximise people's participation. I was particularly keen, as I have mentioned in this place, to encourage a diverse range of nominees, including greater representation of women, and business interests as well.

On 23 September 2011, the formal expressions of interest closed. However, my agency received advice from the federal government that it was prepared to receive expressions of interest after that date. Again, it was bending over backwards to try to accommodate as high a degree of participation and involvement as possible. I am advised that the length of that term of extension to 20 February 2012 was proposed by the federal government and that it had consulted with my department. As I said, these are tripartite organisations and there is a requirement for three levels of government to consult.

On 19 December I wrote then to minister Crean and Kym McHugh (who is president of the LGASA), expressing my concern about the very small field of nominations. That was in December. I raised the lack of a broad cross-section of the community as a concern, and also the significant underrepresentation of women. I considered that this would obviously reduce the ability of the RDAs to deliver a more strategic and responsive approach to regional development in their job to help to guide economic growth, and I strongly urged minister Crean to support targeted re-advertising where nominations were smallest, and particularly where female representations were low.

So you can see I went to considerable lengths to try to ensure that there was maximum opportunity for people to nominate. I am advised that the federal department and PIRSA in fact worked together to target suitable nominees, so that quite a bit of work was done there, which included the particular focus on Indigenous and female representation, as well as some additional expressions of interest that were received by the federal government. This was confirmed in a letter, I am advised, on 23 January from minister Crean.

In that letter, minister Crean advised that a review would be undertaken to improve the appointment process. I understand that his department has initiated an early discussion with PIRSA staff. I am advised that the final composition of the RDA membership is the best that has been able to be achieved, even given these circumstances. As I said, there has been an extension and a review process and it is intended that the membership imbalances—again with my other hat on with regard to gender—will continue to be addressed.

Opportunities for additional appointments for the filling of casual vacancies will be assessed where appropriate by each of the RDAs. The Hon. David Ridgway suggested last week that I had asked for the process to be recalled. That is an absolute nonsense, as usual. The opposition comes into this place and just says anything it likes. Its members mislead this place all the time and they bring inaccurate information into this place.

The management of the EOI process and the appointment of members were undertaken by the federal government. As I have said, we seek to encourage a wide range of applicants to obtain the best and most appropriate mix of skills and interests to fill these positions. If the Hon. David Ridgway or any of his opposition colleagues were really interested in RDAs, if they really were prepared to offer some support and encouragement instead of carping on in this place about a process which is largely the federal government's responsibility, they would be out there encouraging people in the electorate with appropriate skill sets, promoting the RDAs and encouraging people to fill those casual vacancies.

That is where his energy should be spent; but he is not really interested. He does not really care about RDAs and he does not give a toss about their skill sets. He likes to come in here and grandstand, as we see, and often mislead this place and put forward inaccurate information. In relation to the matrixes, the honourable member—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: Hurray: nine minutes later!

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —would need to ask each of the RDAs what process they undertook. It is a matter for the RDAs; it is their process. He would need to contact each of them and ask them what process they undertook.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway has a supplementary.