House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-10-28 Daily Xml

Contents

Forestry Forum

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart) (15:06): Supplementary, sir: when will the minister respond to the community with an answer to their requests from the town meeting last week?

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) (15:06): When we have some decisions. There is no point rushing things; we need to actually examine—

Ms Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Look, if I took the advice I got in July, I would have said, 'We are never going replant them again,' so do you want that answer, member for Heysen?

The SPEAKER: I don't want any answer.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: No, I was talking to the member for Heysen, who interjected with a laugh. This is not a laughing matter; this is a very concerning matter for the people of Jamestown and the Mid North and the Southern Flinders Ranges. I am in here working in a bipartisan way—in fact, a tripartisan way, because we've got the Independent on board as well—and we are all working together to try and come up with a solution.

Do not try and force me into making a rapid response or you might get a response that you are not happy with, and a response that the people of Jamestown, the Southern Flinders Ranges and the Mid North certainly won't be happy with. I am going to leave no stone unturned as we go through and work with every government department we possibly can to come up with the right solution, so do not try and rush me into anything at all, member for Heysen. Again, member for Stuart, thank you for your question; I think you asked it in the best possible way, with the best intentions.