RURAL AMBASSADOR AWARDS

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:40): As a further supplementary, why has every other state in the nation signed with the former Labor government and this minister has been asleep at the wheel and not done it?

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) (14:40): The Hon. David Ridgway misleads this parliament. Not all jurisdictions have signed up. Only a couple of the larger jurisdictions have, as I have already reported in this place, so he misleads this place. He misleads this parliament. He comes in here saying that all other jurisdictions have signed. They have not. It is incorrect information.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: Who hasn't?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Tasmania hasn't. South Australia hasn't. As I have outlined in this place before, the federal government commenced with the larger jurisdictions that already had in place farm financing authorities on which to place this model. South Australia and Tasmania do not have such authorities. The federal government moved from state to state on a case-by-case basis signing up jurisdictions to this provision. They commenced negotiations with South Australia and since then went into caretaker mode.

The detailed work that needed to be supplied by South Australia to provide adequate information for these provisions has been fulfilled and it is now simply a matter of the federal government taking its place and the agreement being signed. In terms of all of the information that this state is required to provide, all of that was furnished quite some time ago.