Mount Gambier and District Saleyards

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (15:20): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development regarding the Mount Gambier saleyards. Which line in the 2024-25 budget contains the funding for the Mount Gambier saleyards, and can the minister confirm if there is financial support for the Mount Gambier saleyards as part of the Thriving Regions Fund in the 2024-25 budget?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:21): I thank the honourable member for his question. Those sorts of questions are normally reserved for estimates because it's referring specifically to the budget. However—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Order! Minister, sit down. Are you ready to listen to the answer?

The Hon. T.A. Franks: There was no answer; there was only obfuscation.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Order! Minister, please.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Franks! Minister, answer your question.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: As I was trying to say before all of the interjections: however, I am happy to provide some information to the Hon. Mr Hood.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: The Mount Gambier and District Saleyards project applied for funding to the federal government's Growing Regions Program.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Don't throw burley over at the opposition.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: I was very pleased that it did get through the stage 1 assessment of that because that clearly showed that the project has some merit. Members might recall that the state government made a commitment of $2.7 million towards this project. It was the then Labor opposition that made that commitment, and only after that did the then Liberal government come to the party and match that commitment.

Prior to that, it had been crickets. There had been nothing from the then Liberal state government. The federal member for Barker, Tony Pasin, had totally failed to convince his colleagues in the former federal Liberal government to make any kind of commitment for this project.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: What, Tony Pasin failed? No!

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Tony Pasin did fail. I think we can all acknowledge—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: It's a habit of a career!

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —that Tony Pasin is very good at some things: he's good at creating noise, he's good at posing in front of angry groups, but he's not good at actually advocating effectively—

The PRESIDENT: You will refer to him as the member for Barker, please.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —he is not good at actually talking to relevant ministers, and he is not good at delivering outcomes. In terms of the District Council of Grant's project—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —I have been advised, and indeed I spoke with them I think the day after the announcement was made, that it is now re-evaluating the project and what its future is. I am meeting with key stakeholders associated with saleyards very shortly. I do note from media reports, however, that last Friday apparently there was a launch of a campaign to secure new funding from the commonwealth. The Hon. Ben Hood was there and the Hon. Tony Pasin was there. In fact, I understand from the corflutes that this is being launched by Tony Pasin and yet as Minister for Primary Industries I didn't get an invitation to come. I did not get an invitation to come.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Suddenly, we have allegations that I was invited. My question is: why aren't those opposite and their federal colleagues looking at this in a bipartisan way?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Why are they trying make political points instead of looking at this in a bipartisan way?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: I can certainly assure the honourable member, had I been invited I would have been there. I was in the South-East on Friday and would have been happy to attend. My question is—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —is this petition being presented to the House of Representatives or is this just data mining by those opposite, data mining for their own political purposes? Are those opposite, particularly Mr Ben Hood, and Mr Pasin—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —actually keen to secure an outcome, or are they just keen to secure their own political points?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!