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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-23 Daily Xml
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MINISTERIAL STAFF

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:26): Will the Treasurer provide the house with the reasons for the blow-out in the government ministerial staff from 147 full-time equivalent staff in 2002-03 to 207 full-time equivalent staff in 2008-09 at an extra cost to the taxpayer of $11 million? These ministerial staff are employed inside the 15 ministerial offices only. They are additional to the 157 media advisers working inside government departments as reported by The Advertiser on Monday 22 September.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Federal/State Relations) (15:26): Fancy a Liberal opposition asking questions about ministerial staff after the way they rorted the system when they were a government!

Mr WILLIAMS: I rise on a point of order. In answer to a very simple, straightforward question, the Deputy Premier is implying that the Liberal Party, when in government, was rorting the system.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I do not think the Deputy Premier implied that: I think he said it. Does the member for MacKillop take offence at that? Does he want me to ask the Deputy Premier to withdraw?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my right will come to order. Does the member for MacKillop want me to ask the Deputy Premier to withdraw that remark?

Mr WILLIAMS: I certainly do, sir, under standing order 125. I think every member of the opposition is offended.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Premier should—

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: No, sir; I will not withdraw that, because it is established fact. Do we remember—

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order!

The SPEAKER: I will deal with this. I think an accusation of someone rorting something is a reflection on their conduct. It is accusing them of doing something illegal. I do direct the Deputy Premier to withdraw.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I withdraw the word 'rort', sir. We all know what the former—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Overuse.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order!

The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Premier has withdrawn the word 'rort'.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: He is now attempting to make qualifications to his withdrawal.

The SPEAKER: All I can do is make him withdraw, and that is what he has done. The Deputy Premier.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Trust me: some of us have a history and a memory.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr VENNING: On a point of order, sir: when he was responding he had his back to you for the whole time he spoke. No respect to the chair.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I think that, of the problems we have in this chamber with parliamentary behaviour, the direction that the Deputy Premier is facing when he is addressing the chamber would be one of the least of them. It does not particularly worry me. The Deputy Premier.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Plenty of us that have been around and, I am sure, Greg Kelton and others would remember the excesses of the former government when it came to staff. I remember—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The hat; yeah, the hat.

Mr WILLIAMS: On a point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer will take his seat.

Mr WILLIAMS: Sir, I believe we are still in question time. The Deputy Premier was asked a question, and the comments he is making now have no relevance whatsoever to the question that he was asked. The opposition is still waiting for an answer.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I just point out to the member for MacKillop that he will find he will get far better consideration of his points of order if he just states what his point of order is rather than using it as an opportunity to make a debating point against the member on their feet. The Deputy Premier has the call.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I think the member for MacKillop has made all the points I wanted made, sir.

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