Question Time

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture a question regarding cuts to investment in the primary industries sector.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: While we know that the state government gives little priority to agriculture—and we know this because of Labor's successive cuts to PIRSA and SARDI—the minister yesterday lauded SARDI and all the staff there as deserving of our congratulations. The fact is that the South Australian potato industry has been grimly watching cuts to R&D and to SARDI. As we acknowledge that agricultural and horticultural success is dependent on research, and as the potato industry is on its knees due to non-competitiveness caused by input costs and imports, my questions are:

1. Does the minister agree that the potato industry recovery and sustainability is reliant upon building efficiencies?

2. Do these efficiencies include developing new, high-yielding and better tasting varieties with pest and disease resistance?

3. How do these cuts in research, recently announced in the budget, increase research for our rural industries?

The PRESIDENT: I call the minister and remind her to ignore the opinion in the explanation.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:21): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. Indeed, our most recent budget was a very challenging budget. We are in very difficult financial times, and it was a budget that was responsible in meeting our priority needs whilst ensuring that we regain a surplus in the out years.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It is very easy for those on the other side of the chamber to criticise, but we did not see the opposition put forward any alternative policies or strategies in its response to the budget; not one new idea, not one new piece of policy, no vision, nothing. We see the Hon. David Ridgway espousing all sorts of virtues and suggesting that assistance should be given to the apiarists and assistance should be given to the potato growers, but I want to know what additional money the Liberal opposition is proposing. What is it proposing to give to apiarists? What is it proposing to do for R&D and potato farmers? There is nothing; no new ideas, no policies, nothing, a policy void.

This government, the Jay Weatherill government, gets on with it and, of course, PIRSA remains very committed to supporting industry, eliminating duplication and overlap and, obviously, pursuing cost recovery activities where it can. I find it fascinating that the member opposite, the Hon. David Ridgway, also has a lot of trouble reading the budget. He has made some terrible blunders, some really shocking blunders. One of the things he said, in relation to SARDI, was that it was one of the worst hit in terms of job cuts.

An honourable member: That's true.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It is not, it is absolute nonsense. There was very little change in the FTE numbers in SARDI in this budget compared to the previous one. The Hon. David Ridgway was looking at a cap adjustment, which is an accounting term, but if he had looked at the actual figures there is very little change in the actual number of FTEs employed by SARDI on the ground in this budget.

He can't read a budget; he gets it wrong. He doesn't bother to read the document properly. He doesn't engage the brain and think about the figures that are in front of him. He never bothers to pick up the phone and ask for a briefing. God forbid that he might ask for some information—he might actually learn something. But, no, he espouses that jobs in SARDI (and it was also rural services) are 'the worst hit'. That is just nonsense. As I said, SARDI had very few changes to its FTEs, so the basic premise of his question is just nonsense, absolute nonsense.

Although, clearly, there were savings that each agency had to make, I worked extremely hard with PIRSA and SARDI to ensure that we minimised, wherever possible, cuts to direct services. We have sought to make behind the counter or back of shop service changes, decrease duplication, and improve the structure of the way we do business to build economies of scale and have greater leverages for particular business outcomes. We have worked very hard to minimise cuts to direct services, on-the-ground services.

The honourable member asserts that this government has no commitment to agriculture or, for that matter, to the regions. There were a number of significant new initiatives for agriculture and there was new money for our initiative in China. There is huge potential for new markets, and a number of our businesses are successfully doing business in China now.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: No thanks to you.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, it is thanks to us. We are extremely supportive, and industry respects that. They really respect the fact that we are out there including industry in delegations. In fact, not only do we support these delegations when they come to South Australia, and make sure we get them out there visiting as many businesses and as many industries as possible and work very closely with the industries to do that, but also when private industry seeks to take delegations to China and other places we provide significant government assistance for those representations. Particularly in countries like China, government endorsement is very important for the successful outcome of contracts. They look to see that the government is giving approval to these things, so we take those responsibilities very seriously.

We have new money help our food and wine markets in China. We have new money—just under $3 million—for the food and wine coinnovation clusters: one is to be set up in the Riverland/Murraylands and the other in the Limestone Coast. There is new money for fruit fly, and we are discussing that with the industry. We are consulting with the industry to see where that is best located and who wishes to be partners in that. We work with the industry. There is new fruit fly money, and there is just over $4 million for our high-value food manufacturing centre. There are significant new initiatives there.

There is also significant investment in infrastructure throughout our regions, which is critical to their vitality and long-term sustainability. There is $25-odd million over three years for the Mount Gambier Prison. In terms of roads and transport, there is $6.1 million.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It creates jobs. It is building infrastructure. That's jobs on the ground there for a number of years. You ask the people of Mount Gambier how important a building project like that is in that area. It is outrageous that the opposition does not understand the relationship between infrastructure builds and jobs on the ground—real jobs, jobs for young people in particular.

Roads: $6.1 million for Berri; $21 million out at Ernabella for roads there; McLaren Vale, $2.8 million for the overpass; Dukes Highway, $7.4 million; $13.1 million to improve the safety and efficiency of our freight routes; and $1.9 million for our rural road safety system. Mining: $4 million for exploration in the Gawler Craton area; over half a million for the Eyre Peninsula initiative; and $6 million for mining and petroleum services of excellence. Water: Port Wakefield, $12.9 million towards a $17.1 million project for the Port Wakefield township; and, Hawker, $4.1 million to improve their water supply. Health: again, very important builds, these are infrastructure builds—Port Lincoln, $12.5 million; and, Whyalla, $9 million, the development of their hospital.

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

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Dawkins will come to order.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Whyalla, Mount Gambier, Port Pirie, Berri—it goes on and on. Firefighters, housing, education, food and wine—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway, if he wishes to interject, at least make it witty or clever.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: This government, even though as I said it is an extremely difficult budgetary time, has invested significantly in agriculture and our rural areas and, as I said, it was a very tough budget. It was a tight budget, but we managed to do a great deal in very difficult times.