SARDI Funding

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (14:42): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development on funding for the SA Research and Development Institute.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: Budget papers handed down in June show that the state government has this year allocated just $12.3 million in net cost of subprogram funding for SARDI. Prior budget papers show that SARDI's net cost of subprogram funding contributions have reduced since the early 2010s, when successive budgets allocated more than $30 million. Indeed, I understand that this year's allocation of just $12.3 million is the lowest allocation made to SARDI in 15 years.

Is the minister concerned that cuts to SARDI have reduced the capacity of the organisation to respond to the algal bloom, and will the government commit to restore the funding that has been cut from SARDI so that it can do its vital work?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:43): I thank the honourable member for his question. I would want to specifically look at the lines he has referred to, but what I can say more broadly is that we have been very supportive of the funding for SARDI.

What is often not well understood is that the way SARDI often gains its funding is from co-funding and from project-based funding. For example, there have been a number of projects where SARDI has been provided funding from the state government, which they have been able to leverage with tertiary institutions, with private organisations, and so on. There has been that opportunity and that of course does change from year to year. There has been also the opportunity, I think, to continue to enable SARDI to leverage those opportunities. There is a lot of expertise in SARDI that is well recognised around the country and around the world, so there are often opportunities for those co-funding projects.