National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (14:31): I am seeking some clarity on this issue because we have the Minister for Human Services saying that the Treasurer was conducting treasurer-level agreements and negotiations, whereas the Treasurer just told us now that he was in fact 'involved' in discussions. Now, those things are quite distinctly different. I ask the Treasurer: are you leading these discussions at a national level on the NPARIH agreement, or is the Minister for Human Services?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:31): As always, this new incoming Marshall Liberal government is a partnership, it is a collaboration. We have ministers who take responsibility and we have shared responsibilities in relation to these particular issues. In terms of the discussions with the federal Treasurer—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Allow the Treasurer to respond in silence.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: In terms of the discussions with the federal Treasurer and the state and territory treasurers, I have had sole carriage of those discussions. I have led the discussions. I have been involved in the discussions, whichever particular phraseology the honourable member would like to use—involved, led, participated in—whatever phrase he would like to use I would be quite comfortable with. So in those discussions with the federal Treasurer and with state and territory treasurers I have been the state minister involved in all of those discussions.

In terms of discussions with housing ministers, that is not an issue in terms of the housing ministers that I have had direct negotiation or discussions with, other than of course my ministerial colleague in South Australia. The discussions in terms of national partnership agreements—and I am not sure whether the Hon. Mr Hunter was asleep at the wheel at state cabinet meetings but if there were national partnership agreements with education, for example, or with health, as we are currently having discussions at the moment, and housing, and I think there might be a fourth area, as the Treasurer, I am actively engaged, involved, participate, whatever word you would like to use, in all of those discussions. But in relation to health, for example, there is obviously a discussion that also goes on between health ministers at their particular level as well, but as the Treasurer I am also involved or participate in terms of discussions with federal Treasury because ultimately there are very significant budget impacts.