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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-02-20 Daily Xml
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DEFENCE INDUSTRY

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:47): Supplementary, Mr Speaker. Given the minister's answer that his government is working hard to secure defence jobs in South Australia, can the minister update the house on how many fewer people work in the defence sector now than when he became the defence industries minister in South Australia?

The SPEAKER: That is not a supplementary. Minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:47): Well, sir, I would like to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. There is no doubt that our local defence industry is undergoing some pressure at the moment on the back of decisions by the commonwealth government, because of their budget pressures, to defer a large number of defence procurements, but that is something I am working on very closely with our defence industries and with the Defence Teaming Centre to help them work through that particular issue.

It is an important issue not only for our state but, indeed, for the commonwealth government because, of course, if these industries lose workers, who leave the defence industries and seek employment in other sectors, it reduces the capacity of those defence companies to pick up defence procurement projects later on. So, it is not only important for our state, in terms of supplying jobs, for the defence companies to remain robust and to keep their workers, but, of course, it is important for the commonwealth government so that, in the future, when it has—

Mr MARSHALL: Point of order: relevance, sir.

The SPEAKER: No, I think the minister is being germane because the leader asked, serendipitously, how many fewer people work in defence industries.

Mr Marshall: He doesn't know, sir.

The SPEAKER: With respect, that's not the point. The quality of the answer, in your opinion, is not the point. The point is: is the minister being germane, is he offering information which is relevant to your surprise question? And I think he is. The Minister for Defence Industries.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Just to wind up, the fact is that the defence industries are a critical component of our state's manufacturing sector. It is one I am working particularly hard with, and indeed the entire government is working particularly hard with, to help them through what, because of circumstances which are outside this government's control, is proving to be a difficult time, but we will continue to do that. We will continue to explore opportunities for them overseas, explore opportunities such as participation in the supply chain of the joint strike fighter, finding other applications for the products that they make to ensure that South Australian jobs are protected.

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