Northern Economic Plan

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:38): Given the minister and his government have been in power for the last 14 years, is the minister arguing in his response that they have no responsibility at all for the economic problems confronting the north at the moment?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister wants to answer the question in silence. Minister.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: You are also pointing, Mr Stephens; it offends your fellow colleagues. The honourable minister.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:39): Northern Adelaide is facing very significant challenges. There is a whole range of factors at play in Northern Adelaide. Certainly commodity prices and a slowdown in the mining and mining services sectors played a big role, but so have decisions in relation to federal government support of major industries, and that is why we are responding with a plan that has put in more than $24 million of new funding to support industries in the north, as compared to their one-page flyer that is a rehash of old policies.