House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-06-03 Daily Xml

Contents

ForestrySA

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:14): I have a supplementary question for the Minister for Forests, given the Premier's answer. Why has the minister abandoned the government's promise to ForestrySA workers, given that he said on 20 May, 'we don't run away from our promises; we will stick with them'?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (15:14): The member for MacKillop seems to take things out of context and come in here with quotes. The commitment was to the people of the South-East. What we have seen since those commitments were made by the government over the last four or five years is that we have a very strong forestry industry in the South-East, and what we are doing is changing ForestrySA to make it competitive so that in 3½ years' time, when that contract comes up for renewal with OneFortyOne, we are in a position to re-sign that contract and continue with the work that we are doing now.