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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-24 Daily Xml
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CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:53): I wish I had a question for the agriculture minister, but I have not. I have one for the Premier. On which date was the Premier telling the truth? Yesterday, when he said that the Cranfield University did not offer degrees, or was he telling the truth when he told the house on 30 May—

The SPEAKER: Point of order. The Minister for Transport.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The nature of the question is that the Premier did not tell the truth to the house.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: What was implied in the question—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Wait for a moment. If you would let someone finish a sentence. If you could have the courtesy that you should have had when you were at the bar. If I can talk to you, Madam Speaker, instead of the rabble on the other side, the question implies that on one of the occasions the Premier did not tell the truth to the house. If they wish—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Anyone on that side should know—it is well known to everyone—if you wish to do that you must only do it by substantive motion or by raising a matter of privilege. They cannot ask a question like that.

The SPEAKER: I uphold that point of order, definitely. You either rewrite or reword your question, or we will move onto the next question, member for Unley.

Mr PISONI: Thank you very much for your sound and solemn advice, Madam Speaker. On which date was the Premier correct: yesterday, when he said that Cranfield—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

Mr PISONI: No, wait for it, Tom. I know you're in a hurry.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr PISONI: On which date was the Premier correct: yesterday, when he said that Cranfield University did not offer degrees or when he told the house, on 30 May 2006, 30 May 2007 and 30 September 2007, that Cranfield University would offer degrees?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: It is very interesting. I have just seen a press release from the shadow minister for education. It says—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: This is from the shadow minister for education. He won't—

Mr PISONI: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Unley. What number?

Mr PISONI: The question was not about food bank, it was about the Premier's claims about Cranfield University yesterday about degrees and, as usual, he's dodging the answer.

The SPEAKER: If you're talking about relevance, sit down. The Premier can answer the question.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Absolutely about education. Rann's food bank hypocrisy—all spelt wrongly.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr PISONI: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Mr PISONI: The question was about the Premier's claim that degrees were never to be offered at Cranfield University—nothing to do with food bank. Set up a Dorothy Dixer if you want to have a go at me but answer the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! Sit down, member for Unley. The question was directed, but the Premier has only just started answering his question. I suggest he gets to the point of the question.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: It is about education. The shadow minister for education who can't add up, can't spell—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —can't spot a forged document, can't run a business except—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. Premier, sit down. Point of order, deputy leader.

Mr WILLIAMS: The question is seeking clarification on when the statements to the house from the Premier were correct.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I direct the Premier back to the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: In the University City process we have seen a number of things happen: we have gone from 8,000 international students in this town and this state to about 35,000, and it is now our third biggest export. We have won $44 billion—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —worth of defence projects because that's the difference—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: And we have Carnegie Mellon here offering degrees, and we have University College London, No. 4 in the world, offering degrees, and we have the member for Waite—God bless him—praising the Royal Institution of Science that has come here and—

Mr PISONI: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Unley.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, relevance, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: I don't think point of order of relevance comes into this. You are not listening, and you are not listening, so I think we can finish that question and move onto the next question. Do you have another question, member for Unley?

Mr PISONI: Madam Speaker, the Premier made claims in parliament yesterday that contradict claims he made on three previous occasions. I ask that you rule that he—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! If you sit down and be quiet I will let him finish the answer, but if you are going to keep gibbering I am not going to bother. We will finish question time. Premier, do you want to finish your answer?

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Thank you. So, we have these organisations offering degrees and, yes, Cranfield University in Britain does offer degrees. It is one of the world's great defence industry universities, and we actually signed a deal with them for business development because we were trying to fill holes in the system of—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: We were trying to fill holes in the skills set that we were offering to win defence projects. There were areas where we were not strong, but we got them strong because we have people like Cranfield University now entering into relationships with universities here offering degrees in a whole range of areas that they are currently being negotiated.

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley, do you have another question?

Mr PISONI: I do, Madam Speaker.

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