Members, Accommodation Allowances

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment regarding interests and allowances. Minister, in your time as a member in this parliament, what are the locations that you have claimed as your usual residence for the purpose of the country members' accommodation allowance? Will you consent to the full and complete release of all your claim forms, if any, for the country members' accommodation allowance?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade and Investment) (15:10): I'm not sure I am responsible to the chamber for this matter, but I will, in the interest of transparency, provide an answer. As members opposite and on this side would know, when I was originally elected I was living and working on a farming property in the South-East, section 342 hundred of Tatiara in the Tatiara district—the County of Buckingham, if I want to be really accurate. That was a place that I lived and resided until I sold the property to my brother in 2007. On all the records that we will see, that would be my residence until I sold the property and moved permanently to Adelaide.

Those records are now nearly 20 years old. You have spoken earlier about the administrative burden on your team in the parliament to provide members with the other records. I am more than happy for those records to be made public, but I understand that you have already charged them with a body of work that will require some time, so whenever they have a chance to make them available, then I am sure they can be seen.