Micro Finance Fund

The Hon. A.L. McLACHLAN (15:11): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation a question regarding the South Australian Micro Finance Fund.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A.L. McLACHLAN: I was fortunate enough this week to receive a response to a question without notice, and I thank the minister and his staff for the two short paragraphs. My question was in relation to who the members of the pool of independent experts are, and the response had the following paragraph:

The Department of State Development advises it does not publicly name the external industry experts to protect their independence and to prevent any lobbying or undue influence by applicants…

My question to the minister is: is this a policy instituted at the direction of the minister, and does the minister know the identity of the individuals and their competencies?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:12): No; no.