Legislative Council Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1) 53 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council Leader of the Opposition Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:35): Can the minister explain— The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: She actually hadn't finished. The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: But she sat down. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: I told her to sit down so that I could talk. The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: She never listens to you so I thought she had finished. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: The honourable minister. The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council The Hon. G.E. GAGO: As well as that, we see the federal Liberal government has also slashed important science and research funding from the CSIRO. They plan to cut around $111 million from the CSIRO's budget over the next four years and, of course, we know that the CSIRO is an outstanding organisation of international repute having invented technology such as wi-fi, extended wear contact lenses, and the list goes on. These cuts are likely to lead to a loss of more than 400 jobs from our science and research areas around Australia by the end of June 2015. That is only a few. I have many more examples which I am happy to share with the chamber if provoked in relation to the really shocking cuts that this federal Liberal government has made to our science and research agenda.