Cross Border Commissioner

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): I seek leave to give a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development on the Cross Border Commissioner.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: On 8 December last year, the minister announced the appointment of Liz McKinnon as the state's first Cross Border Commissioner. Five months on, can the minister update the council on:

1. How many times the minister has met with the Cross Border Commissioner since her appointment was announced?

2. When will the commissioner's role commence, and does she have an office?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for her question. It is certainly a great pleasure to be able to talk about the fulfillment of one more of the Malinauskas Labor government's election commitments, which included the establishment of a Cross Border Commissioner. The honourable member is correct in that, early in December 2022, Liz McKinnon was announced as the state's first Cross Border Commissioner. She is based in Mount Gambier, and the commissioner will travel and visit all border communities to assist, identify opportunities and facilitate collaboration to enhance regional and economic development outcomes.

The commissioner will also work with other jurisdictions, in particular New South Wales and Victoria, as both those jurisdictions not only border South Australia but also have cross-border commissioners of their own. It is a requirement of the commissioner to develop an annual work plan and report on operations during the previous financial year, and as the responsible minister I will at the appropriate time present a copy of the report to both houses of parliament.

The commissioner's appointment commenced on 3 April 2023. It is a three-year term, so it will conclude on 2 April 2026. In terms of how often I have met with Liz McKinnon, certainly prior to her commencing in the role I met with her a number of times, particularly in her then role, which was in regard to the Forestry Centre for Excellence. Since she commenced I have had one formal meeting with her in Mount Gambier a couple of weeks ago, where we discussed at a high level the priorities going forward. That, of course, includes things such as identifying opportunities and facilitating collaboration to enhance regional and economic development outcomes.