Question Time

Site Contamination, Clovelly Park and Mitchell Park

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:28): I have a supplementary question. I ask the minister if he has not misled this house by not referring to a State Emergency Management Committee meeting on the 26^th when he saw it necessary to mention a task force meeting the day before?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:28): The honourable member just does not seem to want to understand that my priority in all these matters is a concern for the residents of Clovelly Park, a concern to give them every available piece of information and to give them first a heads-up before anybody else was told. I have a very different point of view from those opposite me who believe they should have been told first. My view is always the impacted residents should have that information straightaway.

Unfortunately, the members opposite had a different view. Once that information was in the public arena, I told my agencies that I wanted them to act earlier than they were planning to. They were planning to act today and doorknock this morning and I asked them to bring that forward to 6 o'clock.