State Early Commercialisation Fund

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): Further supplementary question: how many companies have made it to phase 3?

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) (14:32): As I have said—and I'm happy to inform the member—I am happy to go away and find out the exact breakdown of the dozen and a half companies who have received funding through this program already—those that have received funding at the first level. I would be pretty sure that the companies have not yet progressed through all three stages, but, as I have said, there are companies that can apply at any stage, depending on where they are up to. I thank the honourable member for his keen support for this, for the sort of program that, over any time that they have been in government in the past, the Liberal Party has never seen fit to introduce.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Lensink has the floor.