AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:31): Supplementary question: given the minister's answer on reduction in staff numbers at PIRSA, would the minister confirm $428 million to $165 million, now the budget since they have been in office, and 1,326 FTEs in 2002, now only 915?

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) (14:32): I am advised that in relation to the PIRSA budget the formulation of the budget, as I said, is always about choices and very challenging economic times. We have had to make changes there. We have had to make significant savings there—and I can bring the exact figures; I don't have them here in front of me at the moment—and we don't resile from that.

There have been cuts to the PIRSA budget. There have been cuts to every agency, and we had to share in that responsibility but, as I said, it is just outrageous to be going around saying that PIRSA has received the highest number of job losses because of this budget because it in fact hasn't. As I said, in terms of actual FTEs on the ground, there is minimal change between what is budgeted in this year and the previous year. The numbers have remained fairly consistent over the last couple of years.