Legislative Council Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1) 54 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Public Sector Employees Public Sector Employees The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council Leader of the Opposition Public Sector Employees The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): I have a further supplementary arising from the original question. Just for the sake of clarification, I think an answer was given that tended towards it, but arising from the original question: can the minister confirm he has not been involved in any discussions regarding the termination of any chief executives? The Hon. R.I. LUCAS Legislative Council Treasurer Public Sector Employees The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:32): I am not going to go into discussions that I have with cabinet colleagues and, indeed, with the Premier. That was the position of the Leader of the Opposition when he was a member of the cabinet. Discussions that are covered by cabinet confidentiality will not be outlined by me in relation to any discussions that might have occurred. The bottom line is there is nothing that prevents a minister or indeed anyone who wants to put a point of view or have a discussion in relation to a particular chief executive officer's appointment. The Public Sector Management Act does not render that unlawful. What is rendered unlawful is if a minister, for example, was to terminate the position or seek to terminate a position of either a chief executive officer or indeed any officer at a level below a chief executive officer. I don't intend to outline discussions I may or may not have had with the Premier. They are confidential discussions that I would have had with the Premier both, I would imagine, before the state election when neither of us had the authority to take any action or indeed subsequent to the election when certainly the Premier is the only person who would have had the authority to take action should he have so chosen.