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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-28 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE ZOO

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is again to the Treasurer. Why was the government able to find $85 million to repay the debt of the private organisation SACA but not able to find any increase in the grant for the Adelaide Zoo for the last eight years?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Treasurer, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Workers Rehabilitation) (14:14): It is essentially the same question repeated twice. Gracious me! They are completely different things. The $85 million for SACA was to assist with the total redevelopment of the Adelaide Oval. I know the opposition—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The opposition is like the Japanese soldier on the island who did not know that the war was over and was still conducting a battle which had long been lost. The simple fact is that, on the question of the Adelaide Oval, the membership of the South Australian Cricket Association voted overwhelmingly in favour of the redevelopment.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I know how disappointed the opposition was. I know how heartbreaking it was for them.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Treasurer, will you sit down. I can't hear a word that the Treasurer is saying. Would you please be quiet or leave the chamber. Treasurer.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: They are quite separate issues. With regard to the zoo, the government is completely committed to assisting the zoo in every way it possibly can. We have a 100 per cent commitment to the zoo to make sure it can meet its operating costs, the animals are fed, its obligations to its employees are met and it remains open. What we are not interested in—and, given the line of questioning from the opposition it seems the opposition does want us to go down this path—is corporate welfare for Westpac.

Westpac gave a loan to the zoo with its eyes wide open, and they need to deal with the consequences of a bad loan. I am not going to take the advice of the opposition and throw hard-earned taxpayers' money towards a major bank which makes billions of dollars profit every year. However, I and the government are committed to the zoo and to assisting the zoo in whatever way we can through these particular financial problems which it is facing.

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