State Budget

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:16): Mr President, that was gold. You have to say that was 10 points. My question is to the Treasurer: can he please advise the council as to how much the government has allocated to explain the budget to the great people of this great state of South Australia?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:16): I am pleased to respond to the honourable member's question because this particular issue has attracted some parliamentary interest. I'm not sure there has been much community interest in relation to the very frugal amount of money this government is spending compared to the multimillions that the former government used to spend on itself in terms of the budget.

The very frugal, meagre, minuscule amount—whichever other adjective you would like to use in relation to the budget—is approximately $200,000. The Marshall Liberal government will not be, as the former government did—involving the then premier of the state, the Hon. Jay Weatherill, bold and proud on paid television advertising the party political nature—advertising himself in a party political fashion at the expense of the taxpayers of South Australia.

The former government spent, on various budget campaigns, $1.3 million up to $2 million on various budget advertising campaigns and involved—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Order! I cannot hear. Leader of the Opposition, you are talking over me and I cannot hear the Treasurer.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: As I said, the Marshall Liberal government gave an undertaking and there will be no involvement of either the Premier—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, having a conversation with another member, which is your habit these days, does not allow me to listen to the Treasurer, and if other members of the Labor front bench wished to object to something that the Treasurer is saying, they would not be able to hear him. You are not doing your own side a service and you are not assisting me, and the Hon. Mr John Dawkins can have a conversation with you a bit later. Treasurer, do you have anything further to add?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Just to conclude the answer, Mr President. I'm happy to get further information for the honourable member in relation to the many millions that were spent by the former government on budget-related advertising—it was in the millions. The meagre allocation in this particular budget is about $200,000.