Budget and Finance Committee

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:02): My question is to the Leader of the Government. Will the leader inform the council about the important role played by members on parliamentary committees, and will he advise of the risks of providing inaccurate or misleading material to those parliamentary committees?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:03): I thank the honourable member for his question. I know that the honourable member has played an important role on many parliamentary committees during his time in this place.

We all know the important work that parliamentary committees do, particularly members of this chamber. Members from across the political spectrum in the Legislative Council take part in standing committees, select committees and joint committees, and we have just seen in the past sitting week a joint committee being established. They inquire into issues, gather evidence and provide reports and recommendations to parliament and to the South Australian public more generally. It is important work for all members of parliament but particularly members of this chamber.

The Budget and Finance Committee plays an important role in this, and plays a significant role in scrutinising the expenditure of government departments and agencies. But with these important responsibilities come responsibilities that the members of those committees carry. There have been concerning revelations today that one Liberal member of the committee, a member of this chamber, the Hon. Frank Pangallo, has reportedly been providing inaccurate and misleading information to the Budget and Finance Committee.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Sit down. I want to hear the minister's answer and I can't hear at the moment with the gaggle that is going from this side of the chamber.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Thank you, sir. I appreciate that, because every time you have to stand up it draws more attention to what I am going to say, so I thank the members opposite. There have been concerning revelations today about information provided by a member of this committee, a Liberal member, the Hon. Frank Pangallo, who has reportedly provided misleading and inaccurate information to the Budget and Finance Committee about algal blooms. I am advised that references were given by the Hon. Frank Pangallo that provided invalid weblinks, misappropriated authorship and, not just that, non-existent sources—sources that did not actually exist at all. This is—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I am advised that there were references that just didn't exist at all. We all know we have—

The PRESIDENT: Attorney, I am just a little bit concerned that you are talking about a committee that may well have not reported at this particular point in time.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Sir, if it's your ruling that no-one can refer to things that happened in the Budget and Finance Committee—

The PRESIDENT: No, just hang on.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Point of order: I believe we changed the rules for the Budget and Finance Committee.

The PRESIDENT: Can you just hang on, please? My advice is that, if evidence has been given in the public hearing, it can be referred to.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I appreciate that. As I was saying, it has been reported that references were given that just do not exist, that seem to have been entirely made up. I think when the Hon. Frank Pangallo was an Independent in this place, people just said, 'It's what the honourable member does. Don't worry about it.' Being part of a team that could be the alternative government carries extra responsibility.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I don't think people are going to just give a free pass and say, 'You know how the honourable member'—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I just don't think people are going to accept now that a member of the alternative government can just get away with, 'That's just what the honourable member does: a bit of fast and loose. Don't worry about it.' As I have said, it is alleged that he provided references that just don't exist, and this is on something, as my colleague the Hon. Clare Scriven pointed out, that is extraordinarily important to South Australia.

Imagine this was a bushfire or a flood and there was a member of the opposition just making things up, promoting conspiracy theories and providing references that just don't exist. There would quite rightly be uproar. Imagine this: during the COVID-19 crisis, members of the then Labor opposition just made things up, peddled conspiracy theories that just didn't add up. Imagine that! We took a very different attitude during the COVID-19 crisis. As an opposition, we accepted the health advice. We didn't peddle conspiracy theories. We were a responsible opposition.

This is outrageous. It not only goes to the economic wellbeing of South Australia, but it goes to the faith South Australians have in their institutions. People should be able to rely on what their members of parliament, the people they voted in, are doing in this place. They should be able to rely on the accuracy of what is being put forward. This is an outrageous sort of thing that has happened and it is an indictment on the leadership of the member for Hartley, Vincent Tarzia, if he doesn't take some action. If he doesn't take some action and remove the honourable member from this committee—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: —it says everything you need to know about the leadership of the Liberal Party and the standards they accept.