Question Time

Time Zones

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, representing his very good, close and intimate friend, the Minister for Investment and Trade, a question about time zones. Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: As members would be aware, back in early February—I think around 5 February—the old chestnut of a distraction was released, which would be a discussion around—I think the Premier floated it—changes to the eastern time zone. Members would be aware that I lived on the South Australian-Victorian border all of my life before being a farmer, and we lived with a difference of half an hour. We lived right on the border; in fact, my property backed onto the border. Really, they should have actually spoken to the people who live with it on a daily basis before we went down this path.

We are now nearly six months on from that announcement. I was listening the other day with interest, as I often follow what the member for Waite does and listen to what he says, because sometimes it varies on a daily basis. Anyway, I was listening last Monday or Tuesday as I walked to work to a radio interview, where I listened to the discussion on what had been happening. They had a great debate on 9 April and then they did some other consultation, and the minister was saying to Mike Smithson on morning radio:

…we're walking along the trail assembling the 'What We Heard' report following extensive consultation…we've got an early draft of that…it's raised some really interesting issues that required further work. So we've gone to a range of sources to get some answers to some of the issues raised into 'What We Heard' report…also we've commissioned some economic modelling because I think the argument would be supported by some sound economic arguments.

He goes on to say that a whole heap of other issues were raised:

…firstly it's telling us that there's a wide array of views here and that there's no general consensus. It's also raised some interesting issues, some of which haven't come up on previous occasions when this matter's been raised…for example, over on the West Coast there's issues that have been raised about kids getting up half an hour earlier, will it be darker, are there any health issues…

He says that has never been raised before. Where has he been? Then he goes on to say, 'we're seeking advice on that'. He then goes on to say that the report also raised issues about safety, with the more daylight the better. Later in the day the argument is that if you have more daylight there'll be less chance of hitting things on the road and they are getting some advice on that. He goes on:

Issues have been raised about whether or not we can open schools and government offices…later to accommodate a change…we're getting advice on that…

He then went on to say that they have also—

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway, this is not a brief explanation.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: It is a brief explanation.

The PRESIDENT: No, it's not; it's a long explanation.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I'm just about—

The PRESIDENT: Three minutes for an explanation is getting a bit too long. Just get to the questions.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: The last 15 seconds, Mr President, have been taken up with you asking me to hurry up.

The PRESIDENT: Get to the questions.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: My final point is that he said, 'we've gone to the universities, we're getting some economic modelling done'. My questions are:

1. Who has been commissioned to do the economic modelling?

2. How much is the economic modelling costing?

3. The economic modelling the minister referred to later in his interview on the radio—was that the same economic modelling as before? It mentions that the same people have been engaged.

4. The minister took a number of flights to all parts of the state. Can the minister bring back a response as to how much the flights have cost and how much the whole study into the change to time zone is costing South Australians, when it was really just a joke and a distraction?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:23): I thank the honourable member for his question and his very touching personal story and reminiscence about his former life on the land. I will seek an answer from the minister responsible, who is a very good minister. He is a good egg and a great advocate for this state, the minister responsible, and I will bring back a reply. He's a good egg.

The PRESIDENT: Supplementary question.