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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
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Parliamentary Committees

ECONOMIC AND FINANCE COMMITTEE: ANNUAL REPORT

Mr RAU (Enfield) (11:03): I move:

That the 67th report of the committee, entitled Annual Report 2007-08, be noted.

On moving that this report be received, there having been changes in the Economic and Finance Committee, on behalf of the members of the committee I express our thanks to the member for West Torrens who—unfortunately for us—has departed the scene to move on to other things. He will be greatly missed, but the good news is that the member for Taylor has come into the committee and was today appointed the chair of the committee; so there is good news and bad news.

Mr Williams interjecting:

Mr RAU: I am tidying up old business. In deference to the former chair who had a certain style—

Ms Ciccarello: Je ne sais quoi.

Mr RAU: Je ne sais quoi, as the member for Norwood expresses it. He had a certain style about the way in which he used to present reports to the parliament. So, as one last tribute to the member for West Torrens, I am going to attempt to present the summary of the report in the way that I think he would have liked to present it.

An honourable member: He's not dead!

Mr RAU: No, he is in a different, altered state. That is not death, I realise that. Anyway, this is the report that one might have received had the member for West Torrens been able to deliver the report. Members have to pretend I am the member for West Torrens to really get the full value out of this.

Mr Griffiths: Can we have it in Greek?

Mr RAU: I cannot give it in Greek. All I can say is kyries ki kyri, and after that I get lost. Anyway, I will come back to the main issue.

Mr Speaker, I present to the house the 67th report of the Economic and Finance Committee, the annual report for the year 2007-08. Friends, South Australians, committee members, lend me your ears. I come to table the annual report, not to praise it. The evil that committees do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their reports. So let it be with this report.

Other committees have told you the Economic and Finance Committee is ambitious, as if it were a grievous fault—and grievously should the Economic and Finance Committee answer it. Here, under leave of the Speaker and the rest (for the Speaker is an honourable man—so are they all: all honourable men), I come to speak of the annual report 2007-08.

Ms Ciccarello: Not to bury it.

Mr RAU: Not to bury it; not yet! The committee tabled four reports in the reporting period, including major reports on consumer credit and franchising. Yet the other committees say we are ambitious—and other committees are honourable. We considered the emergency services levy, the application of the Sport and Recreation Fund, passenger service tenders under the Passenger Transport Act, and the budget of the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner. This is all very good stuff, as other members of the committee would be able to attest. Did this seem ambitious?

When the Australasian Council of Public Accounts Committees held its mid-term conference in South Australia in May, did not the Economic and Finance Committee host it and receive widespread acclaim from interstate and international delegates? Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet other committees say the Economic and Finance Committee was ambitious—and other committees are honourable.

Did you not see the committee attach in appendix 3 of the annual report its findings on the impact of the second wave of tort reform legislation? Did you not see the committee recommend that the Treasurer provide an annual update on the movement of public liability and professional indemnity premiums; that the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs provide a report to the committee on the discussion papers process surrounding the reform of the Recreational Services Act; and that future committees review the availability and affordability of public liability and professional indemnity insurance? Was this ambition? Yet other committees say we are ambitious—and the other committees are honourable.

I speak not to disapprove of what others spoke, but here I am to speak what I do know. You all did admire us once—not without cause. What cause withholds you then admire us now? Oh, judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts. And men have lost their reason. Bear with me. My heart is in the bills and papers office with the annual report; and I must pause till it come back to me.

Mr Speaker, I recommend this report to the house, and it is possibly the last time a report of this type will be delivered by the Economic and Finance Committee.

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (11:09): I feel somewhat duty bound on behalf of the opposition to provide some comments also about the annual report of the Economic and Finance Committee, being one of its more dedicated members who always tries to ensure that he is there at the commencement time, unlike some others—and I mean that for both sides. I am a punctual person.

We are a reasonable mix of people, and I enjoyed the investigations we carried out in the 2007-08 financial year. There was certainly a lot of detailed work that went into the franchises investigation that we undertook, and also into consumer credit. These are important issues, and it is appropriate that the member for Enfield, as part of his presentation of the report on behalf of the member for West Torrens as previous chair, should highlight those. It was obvious to me in the submissions received that there are some South Australians who have benefited from franchises—there is no doubt about that—but many others have been significantly disadvantaged. However, I do not want to focus on just the one issue. I do take this opportunity to commend Dr Lobban, as executive support to the committee, on his efforts over the 12 months. It is obvious to me that Dr Lobban is a man who tries to ensure that good debate occurs; certainly, the detail of the reports that he provides is exceptional and, I think, well researched and prepared.

I also commend him for the planning that went into the mid year ACPAC conference that South Australia had the honour of hosting. Again, unfortunately not all of us who are part of the committee were able to be there, for a number of reasons (and I certainly understand that), but I believe that the members who were involved appreciated the opportunity to host our guests from interstate and overseas. It was an opportunity for us to showcase what South Australia provides via a reception in Parliament House and then a day and a half at McLaren Vale—which was, I think, enjoyed by all. The dinner that evening was also very nice, and allowed the opportunity for social interaction to occur between the various members from all political persuasions and nationalities, from which I think we all benefitted. I know that a lot of planning went into that event; I respect the fact that the parliament provided some additional financial support to our committee to enable that hosting to occur, and I thank the parliament for that.

However, the last 12 months has reinforced to me that while the term 'all powerful Economic and Finance Committee' is used quite liberally by many members—and I admit that I believed it prior to coming into this place, which was why I held a desire to be appointed by the opposition to that committee—I wish the committee actually was all powerful, and I wish it was prepared to investigate things that are important to South Australians.

As a matter of interest, I recently submitted a proposal for an investigation which was not supported. I was frustrated by that and, while I respect that that is how the numbers balance out on the committee and it is the way that it is structured, I think the issues that we sometimes attempt to highlight as being worthy of investigation are indeed issues on which South Australians want the parliament to have greater knowledge. That was the intent of those motions.

I am pleased that the committee increased its workload significantly in the last financial year. I was quoted as being somewhat sceptical of the fact that in the previous annual report the period for which we sat was relatively minor. This year it is a very different case, as it should be. Meetings were held out of sitting weeks, and we were involved in visits to different areas, at times taking submissions from people electronically—and it was interesting doing that—via video conferencing. A lot of people came to address us in the formal part of our meetings, as well as there being the informal discussions that take place after them. So it is true that the committee actually worked much harder in the last 12 months.

I hope that continues with the appointment of the Hon. Trish White as chairperson. This morning, at our first meeting, I asked her what was her vision for the committee, and I am sure that she wants to ensure we look at some of the important issues that are occurring in this state. The honourable member is nodding her head, and I appreciate that.

An honourable member: She's a very good chair.

Mr GRIFFITHS: I have no doubt about that. So, I look forward to moving forward as a committee over the next 12 months—while, hopefully, our membership stays within its current structure—continuing the relationships that exist and, importantly, working for the benefit of South Australia. I commend the report to the house.

Mr RAU (Enfield) (11:13): I thank the honourable member for his contribution. As he was not limited by an attempt to format himself in the same way as the member for West Torrens would have done, he covered many things I wish I had covered. I would particularly like to echo his remarks about Dr Lobban, who has provided outstanding support for the committee. His skills run not only into all the matters the committee deals with directly, but also to the point of having some modest contribution to speeches of the type you heard a little while ago. That is an extraordinary and perhaps underrated skill around here; I have found that there are not many people who write speeches like that.

I endorse the remarks made by the member for Goyder, because he quite fairly summarises some of the interesting things we have done. I think that it is probably something we all look forward to: being able to do meaningful work in the balance of the parliamentary term remaining for us. I commend the report to the house.

Motion carried.

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