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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-08 Daily Xml
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BURNSIDE COUNCIL

Mr GOLDSWORTHY (Kavel) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for State/Local Government Relations. Will the government now lift the freedom of information ban on matters relating to the Burnside council inquiry, given that Mr MacPherson is now finalising his report and no longer taking evidence?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:01): I am not sure what is referred to as the 'ban'. My understanding of the circumstances around the Burnside report are these: a number of former Burnside councillors took action in the Supreme Court of South Australia, I believe, on a number of matters. One of those matters involved—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I always love this. As soon as you start talking you immediately get all the advice on that side on how the question should be answered. Perhaps they should just stay among themselves and chat among themselves.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: If somebody would like to play some lift music while I wait for them to stop.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I will do that again. The council took a matter to the Supreme Court. As I understand it, one of the consequences of that action was an interim suppression order on the report.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister is answering the question, not the opposition.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Madam, they know better than me. Perhaps I should just sit down.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It wouldn't be you, Mitch. If there is some other matter, I am quite happy to talk about it. Can I say this: as I understand it, there was a matter in the Supreme Court. One of the orders sought was that the report of the—

Mr Pengilly: You're worse than Gago.

The SPEAKER: Member for Finniss!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The member for Finniss, the only man I know sacked from the front bench by Twitter, or whatever it was—by social media—is reflecting upon my competency. As I understand it, a suppression order was sought on the report of the former auditor-general and was granted on an interim basis.

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Finniss, you are warned this time.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: What I understand is that our lawyers, as a result of a court finding that some of the terms of reference of the inquiry were beyond the power of the minister—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Now I am getting legal advice from both the member for Finniss and the member for Bragg. Of course, the member for Bragg's great achievement in this place is to start up there and progressively get further away, so you will forgive me if I don't take that advice.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, member for Finniss.

Mr PENGILLY: Standing order 98: the minister is debating now.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I wouldn't debate if they didn't interject.

The SPEAKER: I refer the minister back to the substance of the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We have got half a minute left of question time. Be quiet.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Can I say this, that today our lawyers are in court on the matter of the Burnside inquiry and that court case.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: They are in court today. I will lead up to this. They are in court today on that matter on the question of costs and on the question of whether the report should continue to be suppressed. Can I say that I have therefore not made a statement about that matter until that court case is concluded and our rights particularly as to costs—the sort of thing that would not concern you because you are reckless and foolish—are determined.

I therefore hope that the court case today will have been wrapped up, and I look forward to bringing a statement on the entire Burnside matter to this parliament by way of a ministerial statement tomorrow where I will deal comprehensively with every single issue. I am sure you look forward to hearing it tomorrow.

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