PIRSA Consultants

The Hon. S.L. GAME (15:15): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development regarding PIRSA expenditure on consultants.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.L. GAME: A recent report in The Advertiser revealed that the Department of Primary Industries and Regions spent $33.6 million on consultants and contractors between 2020 and 2023. We know that taxpayers are supporting $3.2 million a day on contractors and consultants across all state government departments. Despite an increase in Public Service numbers in the vicinity of 1,700 workers, $277 million was spent on external contractors and public servants across all government departments and agencies, excluding the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, last financial year alone. It was also revealed that only a quarter of companies with multiple government contracts are based in South Australia. My questions to the minister are:

1. How many South Australian companies have been unsuccessful in securing PIRSA consultancy and contractor contracts in favour of interstate and overseas companies?

2. Has PIRSA overspent its budget at any stage during your time as minister and, if so, by how much?

3. How does your department measure the value for money spent on contractors and consultants?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:17): I thank the honourable member for her question. I will take some aspects of the question on notice in order to bring back a more detailed response, but I can make a few general remarks. First, some of the consultants fees, or those within that particular category, I believe will include, for example, short-term responses such as contractors needed for the response to the northern suburbs fruit fly. Obviously, the period we are talking about is prior to that—I just use that as an example. Also, we had the fruit fly response teams in the Riverland.

Secondly, in terms of whether there have been any unsuccessful South Australian businesses, my advice when this topic has arisen has included that a number of times where consultants are needed it is particularly around the scientific work that is done and therefore there might be very limited numbers of people with the appropriate qualifications or expertise who are able to participate in that scientific work. Again, that is just one example. In terms of the other aspects of the question, I will take it on notice and bring back a response.