House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-02-14 Daily Xml

Contents

SA LOTTERIES

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (15:17): My question is again to the Premier. Following the swings against Labor in last weekend's by-elections, will the Premier now reverse his decision to sell the state Lotteries Commission?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (15:17): These were not matters that were raised with us at the door. If you had participated in the state by-elections, you would have realised that the concerns—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition, you are warned for the second time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, I am having trouble understanding what the anxiety level of those opposite—in particular the Leader of the Opposition—is about these by-elections. Why were they running away from these contests? What was behind that? What is the explanation for that? Is it because it may have revealed something about the inadequacies of that side of the chamber? Would it have exposed—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Or, Madam Speaker, when they—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —resolved upon a strategy, which is apparently not to run a candidate, were there other elements within their party that decided that was the wrong strategy and decided to run a candidate?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Did we just see being revealed the internal divisions within the Liberal Party? Madam Speaker, I must say—

Mr Pisoni interjecting: