Minister's Regional Travel

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:09): Supplemtary: since the minister has taken on the role of minister, how many times has she travelled to Kangaroo Island to oversee the important issues that the Hon. Mr Simms raised, and also the culling of feral pigs as one of her colleagues raised?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:09): I thank the honourable member for his question. I look forward to being able to get to Kangaroo Island as soon as possible. Having been a minister for I think seven or maybe 7½ weeks now, I am very pleased to have been able to make regional visits to the Riverland, the Barossa Valley, the Clare Valley, the Upper South-East and, of course, my home area of the Lower South-East.

I appreciate that the honourable member may have a particular interest in how much I will travel to regional areas, given that the former minister for regional development, by all accounts, didn't like going to regional areas to a large degree. That was certainly the feedback that I had—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —in regard to a number of country and regional residents.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Hood, you asked a supplementary question. It didn't really arise from the original answer. I have given the minister the opportunity to respond. Minister, I'm sure you are—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Bourke, we don't need your parroting in the background. Minister, please conclude your answer.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Certainly, I intend to be far more active in travelling to regional areas than the former minister in the former Liberal government. I think really listening to people in regional communities is incredibly important. Of course, that is one of the reasons that the Malinauskas Labor government will be having country cabinets throughout the state. The first one is scheduled for June in Mount Gambier. Of course, country cabinets, if I recall correctly, were something that was scrapped by the former Liberal government immediately upon coming into office.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Which is a shame. It really is a shame and given the swings against the former Liberal government in regional seats—

The PRESIDENT: Minister—

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —I really think it does illustrate how important it is to get out into the regional areas—

The PRESIDENT: Minister, bring it back to Kangaroo Island.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —but, even more importantly, to listen when you get out there, and clearly that is not what the members of the former Liberal government did.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Supplementary question.

The PRESIDENT: A supplementary question arising from the original answer, which could be challenging, the Hon. Ms Centofanti.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: I like a challenge, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: The original answer.