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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-10-16 Daily Xml
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SA WATER

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (14:29): Did the Treasurer approve the $46 million to fit-out the SA Water head offices at Victoria Square, and given that SA Water, according to the Auditor-General, is having to borrow to pay dividends to the government and to fund capital investments, such as a desalination plant and other water security infrastructure—

The SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member should ask the question and then seek leave to explain.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I do not need the assistance of the Attorney-General. Is the member for MacKillop seeking leave to explain?

Mr WILLIAMS: Yes; thank you, sir. Does he stand by the $46 million fit-out as money well spent under his direction of the Treasury bench?

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security) (14:30): I thank the honourable member for his question because it gives me an opportunity to correct the record in the house. One of the things I find quite outstanding about the opposition is the number of times it is prepared to bend the truth and say outright misleading statements publicly in relation to a range of issues. I want to refer to a particular interview that the Leader of the Opposition gave on regional radio a week or so ago, where he told the public that SA Water was using the Save the Murray levy to fit out this building. He actually told the public that SA Water was using the River Murray levy! That is an outright lie. In fact, the Leader of the Opposition stands at such an angle to the truth on this one that he would not deflect it.

The Leader of the Opposition knows very well that the Save the Murray levy is a hypothecated fund. A report comes into this chamber every single month. It is a hypothecated fund, and the Leader of the Opposition knows it, but he went out there and misled the public again—as he does again and again. What I would like to say—

Mrs REDMOND: I have a point of order, sir. The member just accused the Leader of the Opposition of having misled—

The Hon. K.A. Maywald: Not the house.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Heysen, it is disorderly to accuse a member of misleading the house. To my knowledge the minister was not accusing a member of having misled the house but, rather, making misleading statements.

Mr PISONI: Standing order 127 states that a member may not impute improper motives to any other member. I ask you to uphold that point of order, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I do not uphold the point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! What the minister has said is not a personal reflection within the meaning of standing order 127.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I have a further point of order, sir. I make the point that it sits ill in the mouth of the opposition to complain about standing orders when they are shrieking abuse.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister does not assist me in keeping the house in order by misusing points of order in that way. The Minister for Water Security.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: Thank you, sir. In relation to the fit-out of the SA Water building which is currently under construction, it is a decision of cabinet to support the $46 million fit-out of the building. It is a very large building and it needs to be fitted out. We cannot move people into a building with no furniture and furnishings. It is important to fit out buildings before moving people into them. Moving them into an empty building would be highly irresponsible. In fact, the cabinet decision was based on the fact that relocating SA Water staff and personnel from three different sites into the one central site will have long-term savings for the government.

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