Innovation in South Australia

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation. Can the minister outline how the government is supporting innovation in South Australia, and is he aware of any other proposals?

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) (14:44): I thank the honourable member for her question, and pay tribute to her time as minister for science and information economy. She is exceptionally well regarded in this area in South Australia, and has done a terrific job.

Adelaide is rapidly becoming the default place for smart new businesses to get their start, following the South Australian government's biggest ever investment in innovation. The state government invested almost $80 million of new funding in the recent state budget. It includes a $10 million Early Commercialisation Fund, a state-based $50 million venture capital fund, superfast internet for our innovation precincts through our Gig City investment, and better collaboration between our universities and industries, which I spoke about yesterday through the University of South Australia's Future Industries Institute.

Members may also recall that in May this year I announced in this place the government's commitment to bring one of the world's top innovation and start-up accelerators to Adelaide, committing South Australia as a founding partner to the Bridge to MassChallenge program for our state. MassChallenge has recently appointed Daniel Smith as its South Australian-based project manager and he will be responsible for most of the logistical and planning requirements of the program. Dan has hit the ground running, working on the program, and we are very much looking forward to seeing what will happen.

A total of 62 applications were received, I am informed, for the South Australian boot camp and I understand there has been significant interest expressed by applications from around the country and, indeed, from around the world, from places like Singapore and New York State, to participate in the Adelaide boot camp. Fifteen of the highest impact and highest potential start-ups will receive intensive mentorship at a three-day boot camp in Adelaide in early November.

The successful participants will then meet with and learn from high-quality national and international mentors, and the winners of the national competition will then participate in a five-day boot camp in Boston in early February 2017, where the top teams will compete for a spot in the MassChallenge accelerator program in Boston, Israel, the UK, Switzerland, or Mexico, with the possibility of over $3 million in no-equity cash awards. I congratulate the ambitious start-ups in Adelaide that are applying for the MassChallenge program and I wish all the applicants well and look forward to seeing how their ideas grow.

The second part of the question was: am I aware of any other policies with regard to this area. Frankly, no, I am not aware of them because the opposition still puts forward no policies whatsoever. The reason is that the opposition has fallen back to its usual state of equilibrium—absolute division, absolute disarray, backstabbing and treachery. It is an extension of the old Chapman versus Evans, Olsen versus Brown, but now we are seeing the Hon. David Ridgway versus the world. This appears to be an attempted takeover by the extreme right of the South Australian Liberal Party, the Donald Trump tea party mob of the SA Liberals.

We see the Hon. Michelle Lensink getting very comfortable in the chair she will soon be assuming, the chair she will soon assume when the Leader of the Opposition is forced to step down. I am told the conservatives in this state call themselves—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the honourable minister. No hugging and kissing in the chamber during question time, please.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I am informed that this far right group call themselves the grandmasters—the grandmasters of the South Australian Liberal Party, led in the state parliament by the Hon. David Ridgway and led in the federal parliament by the member for Barker, Tony Pasin. Imagine that, Mr President, being part of a mob led by the Hon. David Ridgway and Tony Pasin—the grandmasters, led by grandmaster flash the Hon. David Ridgway. Now we see more details leaking out about how the Liberal Party, and presumably the Hon. David Ridgway, plan to assume the control of this branch.

Information has now come out that Singapore-based real estate tycoon Mr Grant Kelley looks to have been offered the very safe Liberal seat of Morphett, causing an understandable rearguard action from the sitting local member. It also appears that Mr Kelley has been offered the Treasury portfolio if he takes up that offer. He has been offered the Treasury portfolio. The Hon. David Ridgway can no longer hide and must now take some responsibility. He refused to rule out his involvement in such a plan yesterday. He has no option but to clear the air today.

The Hon. David Ridgway can put an end to all this by simply getting up after this, asking a supplementary and ruling out his involvement at all. Even better, he can make a personal explanation and detail all of his involvement in this. My questions to the Hon. David Ridgway are:

1. Did he have any conversations with Mr Kelley about standing for parliament?

2. Did he discuss with Mr Kelley running for the seat of Morphett?

3. Did the Hon David Ridgway have any discussions with Mr Kelley about taking on the Treasury portfolio?

4. Did the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Dunstan, sanction these discussions with Mr Kelley?

Mr President, failure to answer these questions will be very, very telling. The Hon. David Ridgway knows the seriousness of misleading this chamber deliberately, so he may choose once more the cowardly way out and just stay silent, indicating very clearly his complicity. If there is any truth at all to the allegations of what the Hon. David Ridgway has been up to, the Leader of the Opposition—

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Point of order: could the President, or perhaps the Leader of the Government, actually, refer to the standing orders and let us know under which standing order he gets to ask the questions of this side of the chamber? It is kind of bizarre.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Sit down. There has been a point of order. Standing order 107 states:

At the time of giving Notices, Questions may be put to a Minister of the Crown relating to public affairs; and to other Members, relating to any Bill, Motion, or other public matter…

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: You have to seek leave, though.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: It says nothing in standing 107 about—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Mr President, if the Hon. David Ridgway again refuses to rule out his involvement, then the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Dunstan, will have no choice. Either the Hon. David Ridgway is on a frolic of his own, undermining the leadership, and he has to be sacked, or the Leader of the Opposition was complicit in this and is complicit in trying to do over the Hon. Rob Lucas and he must sack Rob Lucas. Either way, one of those two has to be sacked by the end of the day.

The PRESIDENT: Order!