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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-04-07 Daily Xml
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ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:05): My question is to the Treasurer. Can he advise members about whether he is concerned about the opposition's plan to build an inner city football stadium and entertainment complex on a reported earthquake fault line?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Federal/State Relations) (15:05): I had to point this out, because you would not read this one in The Advertiser or hear it on Today Tonight.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: She is still going on about the fault line.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Can I say from the outset that while some conspiracy theorists at Today Tonight would like us to believe that the new hospital would be built on a fault line, through the process to scope the new hospital that will be built on the site geologists have advised the health minister that after undertaking extensive—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is warned.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: —core samples there is no evidence of a fault line running through the site. That is the advice that we have. But let us assume that there is a fault line. Let us listen to the opposition.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Well, we are told there is not but, as I said, you would not get this scrutiny from The Advertiser because it does not suit their argument. Last month the Deputy Leader of the Opposition again opposed the building of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital on the rail yards, this time stating, amongst her objections, that it would be wrong to build a new hospital on an earthquake fault line. On 23 March, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition told ABC 891:

...best way to make something earthquake proof is not put it on a fault line...of course it's completely reckless and irrational of the government to pick a site...right between the prison...and the railway site is a major fault line...

That is what she said about the hospital. Two days later she said:

We just say...be sensible, understand, building in flight paths, building near earthquake, adding to this risk is a dangerous, expensive alternative.

This is Vickie. But, of course, such concerns do not worry the Leader of the Opposition when it comes to him committing to building a stadium there.

An honourable member: And a concert hall.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: And a concert hall, an entertainment centre, a convention centre, a park and a science centre for kids. Listen to this guy, will you, this is what he said. This goes to the credibility of this man to be a future premier. When talking about a sports stadium that could at any time be holding 50,000 or 60,000 people, he said—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: He is saying it again: not 24 hour—so you have to be lucky.

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I would really like The Advertiser to pick up on this bit. Honestly, could we all listen in silence to how ridiculous his answer is:

We had one—

earthquake that is—

in the early fifties, so it is a risk to the city but...I'd rather take the risk...of a stadium that's used several times a week and is otherwise not full. I'd rather have that close to a fault line than a hospital with thousands of people working in it.

What a dangerous, reckless and damaging comment. So, if there was an earthquake and 50,000 people—his answer would be, 'Oh well, it was worth the risk.'

An honourable member: Bad luck.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: 'Bad luck. It was worth the risk.' What a ridiculous statement. It is unimaginable how somebody could justify that. In fact, last night, on that august TV show that is all about attacking the government, the conspiracy theorists, Today Tonight, he stated:

You can't escape it, it's Adelaide, we're all earthquake zone. What would I rather put close [to it]? I'd rather have a stadium than a hospital.

He would rather see 60,000 lives at risk, because he believes there is a fault line there, than a hospital. How illogical and bizarre is that? If the Adelaide Crows had been playing last Sunday at this new stadium, 42,000 people there at risk, he would have said that was—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: —I might have agreed—an acceptable risk.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Yes, but not for Port supporters.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I am not going to let Port supporters go there: I am not going to see those Port supporters put there. My plea to Adelaide's media is: can this guy be held accountable for what he says? Can he be held accountable for promising to put this state into bankruptcy—a guy who is quite happy to see a football stadium built and 60,000 lives at risk, but he does not want a hospital? It is illogical. If it is an earthquake fault line, according to him, he should not build anything there. His promise should be—

Ms Chapman: You're getting desperate.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I'm getting desperate? I, for one, call into question the competency of the Leader of the Opposition to form a policy with such ridiculous statements. And if a statement like that is not worthy of scrutiny by Adelaide's written media of an alternate premier, I do not know what is—unless of course the printed media, the News Limited media, is so hell-bent on getting this stadium up that it will forgive the Leader of the Opposition for making stupid, ridiculous statements and for putting this state into bankruptcy. It will forgive any inadequacy of the Leader of the Opposition if it gets its stadium up. I think The Advertiser should hang its head in shame, and so should the Leader of the Opposition.

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