House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-10 Daily Xml

Contents

PUBLIC SECTOR LEAVE ENTITLEMENTS

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (15:00): My question is to the Premier. Is the failure of minister Weatherill to inform and alert the cabinet of massive financial implications of the policy to allow public servants to cash out their long—

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Transport, point of order.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The question cannot contain comment. Referring to massive whatever it was is plain comment. She cannot expect the Premier not to debate an answer if she debates the question.

Mrs REDMOND: Madam Speaker, I will reword it.

The SPEAKER: Yes; I was just going to ask you to reword the question, because I do uphold that point of order. It was very judgemental.

Mrs REDMOND: Is the failure of minister Weatherill to inform and alert cabinet of the financial implications told by Treasury to be potentially at only 10 per cent take-up, at least $130 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mrs REDMOND: Is the failure by minister Weatherill to inform and alert the cabinet of that, that is, the policy about the long service leave implications, the cashing out—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mrs REDMOND: —and the potential financial implications—is the failure of minister Weatherill to alert the cabinet of that the reason he has chosen to endorse minister Rau? Is that the reason—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mrs REDMOND: I think he's got the gist of it, Madam Speaker, if I can just finish the sentence; that is, is that the reason he has chosen to endorse minister Rau as his potential successor instead of minister Weatherill?

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) (15:02): Can I just say that I heard this kind of rambling rumbling. I know that some lawyers take silk, others wear silk, but it seemed to me that it was not exactly a Rumpole-like performance. So the answer is: the former treasurer has just told you that these issues were resolved a year ago. I have the utmost confidence in the Minister for Education. So, I would suggest to the Leader of the Opposition, given her performances in court and here in this house, that she sticks to pantomime, sticks to waving around a wand with my photo on it, as the Queen of Hearts.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Unley!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my right, also.

The Hon. K.O. Foley interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Police will be quiet.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Unley, do you want to take a walk for three days? Because that's what you're due. Member for Torrens.