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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-05-25 Daily Xml
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TRADESTART PROGRAM

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (15:15): I have another question for the Minister for Industry and Trade. What action did he or the Premier take—and when did he or the Premier take that action—to prevent the Rudd federal Labor government for implementing a cut of $50 million to the Export Development Grants Scheme during the recent federal budget which led his state government to announce today a closure of the TradeStart office in Port Lincoln and the restructuring of offices in Mount Gambier, Port Augusta and Adelaide? During the 2010 election campaign, the Premier told South Australians that only he could ensure that South Australians got the best deal on funding and support from the Rudd Labor federal government. This is the deal you got.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Gambling) (15:16): Because of the close relationship the opposition had with their federal opposition, perhaps they can detail to us how reducing funding for the Green Car Innovation Fund by $278 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Deputy leader, do you have a point of order?

Mr WILLIAMS: I do indeed, Madam Speaker. It is one of relevance. I don't believe that the answer being proffered has any relevance to the question.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order. I don't think the minister has had time to answer the question yet. The deputy leader will sit down. Minister, answer the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, if elected, with the support of the member for Waite, will cut funding—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker: the question is what action did he or the Premier take regarding the cuts? The minister is obliged to go to the substance of the question, and I'm afraid he's not doing that. I ask you to rule that he come back to the substance of the question.

The SPEAKER: We don't know where the minister is getting to with his question, so I think we will give him the opportunity to answer it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I know that they want to hear the $45 billion in cuts that the federal Abbott government will force onto South Australia, but I can assure the house that businesses in Port Lincoln will continue to have access to programs and services—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —business enterprise centres, workshops to businesses that cover over 40 different topics, market access programs—

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order, Madam Speaker: it must now be abundantly clear that the minister is going nowhere near the substance of the question that was asked, and the point of order is that of relevance and debate.

The SPEAKER: There has been so much noise that I have forgotten what the original question was, but I direct the minister to get back to the point of the question.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Point of order, Madam Speaker: the question, as explained—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Unley!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It is exactly the—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Can I have some protection from the 'bully from Unley'?

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Unley! Be quiet.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It is on exactly the same point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Madam Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition pointed out, debate is forbidden in asking or answering questions. I ask you to examine the question of the member for Waite because his explanation was absolutely redolent with debate. It was riddled with debate. I put to you, Madam Speaker, that it sits ill in the mouth of these whited sepulchres to talk about debate when they ask their questions that way.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! As we have one minute left of question time, the minister will address the substance of the question as briefly as he can. He has one minute.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Thank you, Madam Speaker. So, apparently, the member for Waite and the opposition do not believe that putting computers in our schools helps trade and education programs.

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order: the minister is directly contravening your instruction to him to address the substance of the question, which you now have in front of you, and you can see that what he is saying has nothing whatsoever to do with the question asked.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Industry and Trade, are you going to answer the question? Have you finished answering the question?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I will to finish off by saying this: a rotten deal was getting 10 votes and not being deputy leader.

The SPEAKER: I'm not sure that that was the answer that the leader was looking for, but could I—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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