National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:28): A final supplementary: given that the Treasurer has confirmed that he has had personal discussions with the federal Treasurer and he has also confirmed that he has had discussions with state treasurers, in the interests of being an open and transparent government, what other state treasurers has the Treasurer had discussions on this issue with? I'm not asking the nature of those, just which ones.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:28): Mr President, I am not sure how hard of hearing the Leader of the Opposition is.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I indicated all state and territory treasurers.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: You have talked to every state and territory Treasurer on this?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I attended a meeting—

The PRESIDENT: It is not a conversation, Leader of the Opposition. Let the Treasurer respond.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: It's difficult in trying to get a simple answer through to the Leader of the Opposition. I indicated that I had had discussions with the commonwealth Treasurer and with other state and territory treasurers. There are two separate meetings that treasurers have the opportunity to participate in. One goes by the acronym of CFFR, which is all of the state and territory treasurers with the commonwealth Treasurer. As of last Friday, there is another forum called the Board of Treasurers, which involves the state and territory treasurers, which meets in the absence of the commonwealth Treasurer.

They are the two vehicles through which a state treasurer in South Australia has the opportunity to share views with other Treasury colleagues. On both of those occasions, this important issue, amongst others, was amongst the agenda items, the discussion items, that were discussed, both in the formal session and also in informal sessions afterwards. There have also been a range of other interactions, which I will not go into, between myself as Treasurer and other representatives of other jurisdictions outside of those two particular fora of the Board of Treasurers and the CFFR meeting as well. I am not sure, I would hope after three endeavours that the Leader of the Opposition may well at least now understand that the responses the minister gave were, as I characterised them, entirely accurate in relation—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —entirely accurate in relation to—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, allow the Treasurer to complete his answer—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: —and minister and front bench of the government, please do not encourage the Leader of the Opposition. Treasurer, please conclude your remarks.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I will conclude my remarks by saying my ministerial colleague's comments were entirely accurate as I characterised them in my first response and I can add nothing more than the two supplementary responses I have given subsequently.