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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-10-14 Daily Xml
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AIR WARFARE DESTROYER

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (15:25): My question is to the Premier. During the state election campaign, why did the Premier overstate the value to South Australia of the air warfare destroyer contract at $6.6 billion? During the state election campaign, the Premier released a personally signed policy statement (accompanied by his photograph) which claimed:

In the past six years South Australia has secured, for now and the future, around $44 billion worth of defence projects. This includes the largest defence contract awarded in Australia's history, the $8 billion air warfare destroyer project.

But the Treasurer said on 7 October that only $1.4 billion over 10 years from the air warfare destroyer project will, in fact, be spent in South Australia.

Mr Pisoni: I know the answer: because he's a fraud.

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (15:26): I seem to remember—

Mr Pisoni: The Premier is a fraud. That's why he said it.

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Unley! That is out of order.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I have a point of order, Madam Speaker. The member for Unley, on more than one occasion, said the Premier is a fraud. That is most unparliamentary. I ask that he withdraw and apologise.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold that point of order. Member for Unley, I ask that you withdraw that comment. What you said was very loud and very clear. I heard it very clearly.

Mr PISONI: I did call the Premier a fraud, Madam Speaker, and I withdraw.

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Finniss. I warn the member for Finniss.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I was looking through the figures the other day and, since I have been the leader of the Labor Party, there have been six leaders of the Liberal Party and 10 deputy leaders: Oceans 16.

Mr WILLIAMS: I have a point of order. The question was about the vast discrepancy between claims made during the election campaign and the reality as explained by the Treasurer in the estimates committee.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I do give them some leniency but it is getting close to the bone. I think you had better get back to the question, Premier.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: It really hits at the core of them. The thing is that, if you go back to what the Howard government said, you were all very keen to say that it really had nothing to do with the South Australian government. You thought it was all to do with Nick Minchin and John Howard. 'The fact that we were up against the other states had nothing to do with us. It was a fantastic project. It was a Liberal project,' you said, and you talked about the billions of dollars, of course—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Now they are going to attack John Howard. I can't believe it. The guy lost his seat. Kick a man—

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, it was not John Howard's photograph and signature on the ALP campaign material that misled the people of South Australia.

The SPEAKER: That is a very longwinded point of order. I do not think there is one.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I am very pleased that, rather than buying air warfare destroyers off the shelf from overseas, we are actually building them here. It includes, of course—and only a blockhead would doubt this—radar and missile systems that are purchased from overseas. But the fact is that it is being done here and it is the biggest project in Australian history, one which, by the way, members opposite (just as they did with John Bannon on the submarine project) said we were not going to win. Ultimately, they rejoice when the unemployment figures go up. When they go down and we have record employment numbers, it is like a sea of depression on the second floor.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Davenport!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: And what a difference. Since you were in the cabinet there are 120,000 more people in work, five times the infrastructure spend, and we have got—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I know why he is sensitive. What were his figures? Iain Frederick Evans, 2006-07 as leader, then before that he was deputy leader. Look at them—10 deputy leaders. I thought there was 12. I was wrong; I have misled people. I thought there was only 12; there are 16.

Mr PENGILLY: Point of order, Madam Speaker: standing order 128.

The SPEAKER: Order! I uphold that point of order. Premier, have you finished your answer?

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Yes, I have.

The SPEAKER: The member for Torrens.

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