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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-05-26 Daily Xml
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Question Time

ADELAIDE OVAL

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:11): My question is to the Treasurer. On what date was the Treasurer first aware that the $450 million funding contribution announced on 2 December 2009 was going to be insufficient to deliver the proposed FIFA compliance stadium?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Federal/State Relations, Minister for Defence Industries) (14:11): I have made that statement very clear repeatedly, both publicly and within this chamber that, over some time, some weeks—and I said this in my press conference today—

Mrs Redmond: Weeks?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: —over a number of weeks—in reports that I was given verbally, that there were concerns about the scope and the cost of the works. We continually requested that the SMA look at doing all it can to remain within the budget allocation that the government had provided, but about a week or so ago, it was clear that that was not going to happen.

Mrs Redmond: A week.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: It became clear a week or more—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is answering this question.

Mr Williams: How many weeks before 20 March?

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I can say to the interjection of the member opposite that I was not made aware in any way, shape or form prior to the election that the 450 would not be sufficient.

Mrs Redmond: Did you ever ask?

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Since the announcement, and particularly since the election, the SMA has ramped up in terms of the engineering, construction and architectural design of the stadium, and they have been liaising—

Mr Williams: Since the election, they've changed their design.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: No.

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We have one question at the moment.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Madam Speaker, the leader is suggesting what did I know before the election. What we have said repeatedly is that the SMA, headed up and chaired by Ian McLachlan, who I understand the member for Norwood is very close to. I understand he handed out how-to-vote cards for you on the 20th.

Mr Marshall: You are so wrong; nowhere near it.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Was it the member for Adelaide?

Members interjecting:

Mr Pengilly: We ask the questions.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: And you have been doing that for a long time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the members on my left!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: And you will be doing it for another four years. The government was given a figure from the SMA, chaired by Ian McLachlan and CEO, Leigh Whicker, together with Andrew Demetriou and his officers from the AFL. That figure was based on a number, I am advised, of $10,000 per seat, and given what was already under construction in the western stand, that was a deficit of 36,000 seats—36,000 seats times the $10,000 came to around 350, 360 million, plus the 85, got us to a figure of 450 million. Is that a reasonable way to calculate it, leader?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I am advised by the SMA that is how they reached the figure.

Mr Gardner: You need a new whiteboard.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Need a new whiteboard; rightio. I consulted with senior officers within government about whether that was a reasonable assessment as to what the cost would be, and they concurred in that at $10,000 a seat, because that was what the cost of the western stand was. Madam Speaker, and to my colleagues on both sides of the house, how did the Liberal Party come up with its cost estimate? Because if you listen to the Leader of the Opposition, they had WT Partnership, the designers of houseboats.

Mr PISONI: Point of order: debate.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Number. Give us a number.

Mr PISONI: Ninety-eight, minister.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Give us a number.

Mr PISONI: Ninety-eight. Ninety-eight. Want it again? Ninety-eight.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley will sit down. We have heard your point.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley will sit down. The Treasurer will get back to answering the question.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: What I would say—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I tell you what; the former member for Unley was much better at points of order than that, if we remember.

An honourable member: Not really.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Not really. This is what the Leader of the Opposition said as to how she arrived at her costing of $800 million for her stadium.

Mr PISONI: Point of order: this is debate. The question was about when the Treasurer was aware of the blowout in the Adelaide Oval.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I will uphold that point of order. I think I have been very generous with you, Treasurer. Would you like to conclude your remarks?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: As I said, in the process over some weeks since the election it was becoming apparent that this was going to be a difficult one to land at 450. This does need—if I do say so, in terms of context and fact—to be put on the public record.

Mr WILLIAMS: I rise on a point of order. I think the Treasurer has finished the question; I think he is going to sit down. He understands—

The SPEAKER: Do you have a point of order?

Mr WILLIAMS: Yes; the point of order was about relevance.

Members interjecting:

Mr WILLIAMS: No. 98.

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader will sit down now. Treasurer, have you finished answering the question? I did not think that was irrelevant, but have you finished answering the question? Obviously, you have.

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