APY LANDS, FOOD SECURITY

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:29): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation questions about food security on the APY lands.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: Yesterday, the minister mentioned that the market gardens project was one small part of the government's food security plan for the APY lands. The Premier said yesterday:

The latest program failure was part and parcel of trying to improve life on the lands. The APY lands is consistently two steps forward, one step backwards.

My questions are:

1. What other parts of the plan are currently being implemented and on what time line?

2. Can the minister name one, if any, of the government's policy initiatives that has actually contributed to any reduction of food prices on the APY lands?

3. Has this government actually taken one step forward, if ever, at all?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:30): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. I commend you, sir, on your liberal approach to your interpretation of the standing orders in terms of commentary.

The Hon. S.G. Wade interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Well, I can do that, Mr Wade, if you like. I will let you lead off.

The Hon. S.G. Wade: I'm asking you to observe the standing orders, not reflecting on the chair.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Fortunately, Mr President, you are in the chair, not Mr Wade.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: And not you.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Yes, indeed, fortunately, not me as well—very fortunately.

The PRESIDENT: Have we all finished? I would like to hear the answer. Minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr President. As always, I submit to your authority, sir.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Dawkins!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr President, for that protection. It is well accepted, as I said yesterday, that food security on the lands, and improving that food security, is one of the important objectives of this government. It will, however, require a sustained, long-term, cooperative effort.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: And a waste of taxpayers' money.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: The Hon. Ms Lensink intervenes across the chamber, and says that we are wasting our money intervening on the lands, wasting our money investing in education on the lands, wasting our money investing in housing improvements on the lands, wasting our money putting police officers on the lands.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: That is the approach you see from the opposition. They never had a commitment to the lands. It took a Labor government to refocus the government in terms of money being invested into improving community facilities on the land. As I said yesterday, we are involved in a cooperative effort between the APY executive, the Anangu people, the non-government sector and, indeed, governments of all persuasions, federal and state. This government is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people living on the APY lands, and it is following through with a plan to increase the availability and consumption of healthy foods.

The APY lands food security strategy is in its third year of its six-year implementation, and it includes seven key areas of focus. These areas range from consumer protection and financial wellbeing to store management support and discrete education projects. As I said yesterday, one of those projects is Come and Cook with Your Kids program. I will not elaborate on that further; I gave you a lesson on that yesterday. For the past 12 months, that program has worked extremely well, and it will be in place the following year.

I am also advised that the gardens we have been investing in up on the lands have been a source of a good educational program for people.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Brokenshire, are you going to take your place or are you going to disrupt question time?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: As I said, that program was instigated in consultation with local communities, who have requested us to roll out that program further across the land.

Much ado is made in the media about that land being left to go fallow over the hot, arid summer months. Trying to grow produce up on the lands during that period would be particularly difficult. Frankly, if honourable members are seriously suggesting that we invest in high technological solutions to grow around the year, they have rocks in their head. You work with the local environment, you work with the local community, and that is our ethos.

It is true that there has been some damage to the fencing around sites caused by feral animals, and we will repair the damage to fences where that has occurred. It is important to remember that these gardens are community-led projects and, as I have said, are only one part of a seven key focus program.

Another of the areas we are focusing on to improve food security in the lands is to mitigate the additional costs associated with spoilage, and, again, I advised the council yesterday of what we are doing in relation to that. We have invested $288,000 to buy and install back-up generators for community stores, because when the power goes out on the first line generator the food that relies on refrigeration will spoil. Without having that back-up generator in place you would see a lot of food spoilage in the lands, and this is designed to improve the availability and the life of food in those stores. Those generators will have capacity to support safe food storage for a lot longer than we have expected to see in the lands and stores now.

The other aspects of the program that I ran through yesterday, and that I will run through again, are that the strategy is overseen by the APY executive action team, which includes government, non-government and APY executive members. The seven key areas are: consumer protection; financial wellbeing—

The Hon. S.G. Wade: You gave this to us yesterday.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Yes; and you will get it again, until you learn.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Ask the questions—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Mr President, the Hon. Mr Stephens advises he will be asking the same question at every question time, which is great for me because I can prepare for it.

The PRESIDENT: Minister, I might get you to repeat the whole answer because I haven't heard it. However, I do acknowledge the presence of a former leader of the opposition, the Hon. Carolyn Pickles, who went on to become a minister: welcome. Minister, are you starting again?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I could start again, sir, and tell you again exactly what we have been doing in the APY lands but, in deference to the honourable former member you have just welcomed, I will be on my best behaviour. I might just go back to the top of the list instead.

Amongst the seven security priorities that we are focusing on are consumer protection, financial wellbeing, home management supports, store management support, freight improvements, education, and discrete projects that I have already outlined. We will continue to work in consultation with local communities to deliver programs that will increase the availability of safe and healthy foods.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Stephens, it was your question; do you have a supplementary? Did you hear the answer?