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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
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Time Zones

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): My question is to the Premier. Has the government undertaken any modelling to assess how many jobs will be created if we change time zones in South Australia?

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:26): Excuse me, Mr Speaker, I am in shock. It has been October last year, I think, since the opposition has deigned to asked me a question but I am, of course, delighted to have the opportunity—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister will not taunt the opposition.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Thank you for restraining me, Mr Speaker; I have to hold myself back. The government is taking on some tough chestnut issues and one of them—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Was that a cacophony of ideas and policy suggestions coming from opposite or was it just whingeing and carping and whining?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Well, ask me a question. The government is in open consultation with the community until 10 April. The government has put no view forward at this point as to its position, but will do so after 10 April. We are completely open to receiving modelling, suggestions from the business community and ideas, from wherever they may come, about whether the state should go to Eastern Standard Time, whether it should go half an hour towards Western Australian time or whether there should be no change.

The nature of consultation is that you consult with people. You consult and then you decide, and what we are doing is consulting. After 10 April, the government will decide and it will come back to the house and to South Australians with a suggested plan of action. Then we can consult further and that will include—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Yes, yes. That will include economic information about the risks and opportunities, because if it is good for jobs and it is good for business and it is good for families, there may be a change. The government's—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: I like the way they ask a question and then answer their own questions with interjections; they are obviously hanging on every word. It may shock members opposite but, over here, there are some ideas and those ideas are finding their way forward into policy positions. Rest assured, Mr Speaker, the government will come forward with a policy position on time zones, and when it does a bill will come into the house and there will be yet a third round of consultation, and that's when every member opposite will have an opportunity to represent their districts in accordance with their conscience, or, of course, they can all take a group position and vote on party lines.

That's up to them, but I simply hope the people of the West Coast are listened to, that the people of the South-East are listened to, that the people of the Riverland are listened to, and that the business community and others in the city are listened to, because we are listening. I hope the opposition are listening. We can't wait to come forward with a position, but whether you like it or not we love to consult with the people of South Australia, we love to seek their advice before we firm up our views. But rest assured, you will get a position, it will be crystal clear, and then everyone will have to choose.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I warn for the second and final time the members for Hartley, Stuart and Mount Gambier. I warn a first time the members for Schubert and Morialta. I call the member for Chaffey to order and warn him a first time, and I call to order the member for Taylor. The deputy leader, the leader and the member for Unley have been bellowing across the chamber at the highest range in decibels from the beginning of question time. If one of them moves their lips out of order they'll be removed from the chamber. The deputy leader.

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