TOURISM, KANGAROO ISLAND

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (15:06): Will the minister make some inquiries and find out whether this investment opportunity is going to lead to the sale of land on Kangaroo Island to this Chinese company or whether it will be a lease agreement for the land?

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) (15:07): And another further disgraceful question—again, disgraceful. This is what you have: scaremongering. Here we have Kangaroo Island—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable minister is answering.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —which is facing significant financial challenges.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Yes, thanking your marine parks.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: There are no marine parks there at the moment, so how possibly—this is how thick the opposition is. The marine parks are not even in place, yet the Hon. Michelle Lensink is blaming the problems of KI on marine parks that do not even exist anymore. This is how irresponsible and how outrageous they are. Here we have another example of absolute scaremongering. KI is facing significant financial challenges. It is a large island that requires a great deal of infrastructure development, and it has a very small rate base. They struggle to achieve even basic developments in that state. This government is working very hard with KI to promote tourism opportunities and other developments on that island—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —to make it a sustainable, viable, strong economy, and any investment in and on that island should be welcomed. What evidence does the Hon. Ann Bressington have that any land is going to be sold to the Chinese on KI? What evidence does she have? But she comes into this place scaremongering. She has no information on this topic at all. She has no information, has not verified any of these facts at all, but she is so irresponsible that she will come into this place and try to scare South Australians that somehow it is being sold off to the Chinese. What a disgrace! What a shameful disgrace!

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Did you get a bump on the head, this morning, minister?

The PRESIDENT: Order!