Legislative Council Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Riverland Sustainable Futures Fund RIVERLAND SUSTAINABLE FUTURES FUND The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE Legislative Council RIVERLAND SUSTAINABLE FUTURES FUND The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:51): I have a supplementary question, and congratulations to the minister. Can the minister advise how much money is still available in the fund please? The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women RIVERLAND SUSTAINABLE FUTURES FUND 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) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for his very important supplementary question and I thank him for thanking me for doing such a wonderful job in the management of this highly successful fund that has been put in place to assist the Riverland to regain its footing in terms of a sustainable economy. We are about halfway through the timing for the fund. We are about two years into a four-year fund and we are about halfway spent— The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting: The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —so there is about $10 million to be spent. This is being extremely well managed, so we are on time, we are on target in terms of spending. The Hon. John Dawkins has interjected that the RDA has taken it over. That is incorrect. It is completely incorrect information. The RDA has not taken over the management of this fund. The RDA assists in providing advice in relation to the success of applicants and they assist in providing regional road maps that help prospective— The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting: The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It is not the role of the agency to develop road maps. The role of regions—we need local knowledge, local input, and that is the role of the RDA, which is made up of locals. It is exactly how it should be and it works very well. The RDA in the Riverland does an extremely good job and they work very well in partnership with PIRSA to ensure that these funds are spent in the best way possible and have as great an impact in terms of improving the economic drive for the region as possible. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Free avocadoes for the taxpayer for the next 10 years.