Northern Entrepreneur Growth Scheme

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:00): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation a question regarding the Northern Entrepreneur Scheme.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Members of this place would be aware that I have asked a number of questions of the minister about Gawler's exclusion from the Northern Economic Plan and that in response to my questioning the minister has eventually announced the Northern Entrepreneur Scheme. However, the scheme has been located outside of the Gawler area in the Stretton Centre in Munno Para West, which is in the City of Playford. My questions to the minister are:

1. Whose idea was it to place the Northern Entrepreneur Scheme at the Stretton Centre in Munno Para West and not in the Town of Gawler?

2. Given it is now obvious that no contact was made with the Gawler council, what consultation, if any, took place regarding the scheme's location?

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) (15:01): I thank the honourable member for his questions and before I answer his questions, rather than bringing back a response sometime in the future, I might bring back a couple of responses to questions asked earlier today.

The Hon. David Ridgway asked about the South Australian Early Commercialisation Fund and jobs and job projections. I knew that there was a figure because I had seen it some time before and since then I have been able to locate that figure in my folders. Of the 24 companies that have currently received funding under the South Australian Early Commercialisation Scheme, between the 24 companies there are 76 jobs at the moment and the companies' two-year projections are for that to go to 326 jobs.

In relation to the questions the Hon. John Dawkins asked about our Northern Entrepreneur Scheme, I am informed that there has been consultation with many representative bodies in Gawler, including the Gawler council. I am told there was a desire to locate it in a building that wasn't going to be ready until 18 months' time. So, it seems to me that the Hon. John Dawkins' contention is to wait at least 18 months before you start up the scheme. That is not what the government wants to do. The government certainly, with great input from the local member, the Hon. Tony Piccolo, wanted to get going immediately and didn't want to wait a couple of years, as the Hon. John Dawkins would have the community wait.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: We wanted to get going immediately and that's what we did. We have heard some very good reports about how that scheme is going and how it is benefiting businesses in and around the Gawler area, as I have talked about in this chamber before.