House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-07-03 Daily Xml

Contents

South East Forestry Partnerships Program

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (15:02): My question is to the Minister for Forests. Can the minister inform the house when the remaining $10.5 million from the South East Forestry Partnerships Program will be allocated, considering the fund was announced on 15 November 2012?

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) (15:02): Yes, it will be allocated when we have all the applications and we have gone through them and decided which applicants will be funded.

The SPEAKER: Before we come to the member for Unley, in House of Representatives Practice at page 558, it says:

Questions based on rumour, that is, unsubstantiated statements, are not permissible.

The footnote goes to House of Representatives Debates of 19 September 1978 at page 1105, and Erskine May also deals with the point and says at page 359 of the 24th Edition:

Where the facts are of sufficient moment—

and I would have thought the head of this agency saying that she has got the job before the process has started would have been of sufficient moment—

the Speaker has required prima facie proof of their authenticity.

So if the leader can give me prima facie proof, I'll—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: No, the leader has got the cart before the horse. Since I have received no evidence that the economic outcomes—Member for Schubert.

Mr KNOLL: I do indeed have—

The SPEAKER: You could show me.

Mr KNOLL: We can rectify this in about 20 seconds.

The SPEAKER: Pending the resolution of this exciting search, I will call the member for Unley.