Legislative Council Fifty-Fifth Parliament Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Forestry Industry Forestry Industry The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI Legislative Council Leader of the Opposition Forestry Industry The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:12): Supplementary: can the minister please inform the chamber on how many FTEs will be engaged by the centre for excellence, when the centre for excellence will be up and running, what the initial priorities for the centre for excellence will be, and what KPIs will be applied to measure the success or otherwise of the centre for excellence. The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN Legislative Council Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister for Forest Industries Forestry Industry The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:12): I am very glad to see that there is a newly discovered interest from those opposite in the forestry industry. In terms of the time frames and staff who will be involved, that is under contemplation at the moment. We are working closely with industry. As I mentioned, I met recently with key stakeholders in Mount Gambier and we are also in discussions with the University of South Australia about how this can best be delivered to utilise the existing services and capabilities that are there and ensure that we maximise the opportunities for forestry research going forward. In terms of priorities, they will be developed in conjunction with industry. The honourable member may or may not be aware that for existing forest research capabilities there is a call for research and for research programs, and people then put in their proposals. That is chosen by an independent selection committee. I would expect it would be a similar type of process, but obviously we are keen to be as flexible as possible to the needs of industry and to the future of this very important industry in the South-East of the state.