House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-05-07 Daily Xml

Contents

Motor Accident Commission

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:18): Absolutely, sir. I always comply with any of your rulings. My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer explain to the house how the $852.9 million realisation from the MAC will be treated in the budget? Will it, in fact, be a balance sheet item or will it diminish the deficit this financial year by $852.9 million?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:18): The Leader of the Opposition will have to wait for the budget to see how the privatisation of the Motor Accident Commission will be treated. I note the conflict within the Liberal Party on this matter. The Leader of the Opposition has his policy platforms of marijuana-based medical trials and banning duck hunting but is opposed to privatisation of a compulsory third-party premiums policy.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Bragg.

Ms CHAPMAN: This was a simple question as to how certain proceeds are going to be treated. Nothing to do with medicinal cannabis or any other—

The SPEAKER: So, your point of order is that the Treasurer—

Ms CHAPMAN: Relevance: he's debating the matter and what he is debating is completely irrelevant.

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully to what the Treasurer has to say in answer to this question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I'm surprised, and I say to the younger members of the Liberal Party: 'Retake your party. Your leader has abandoned all the principles.' And Tom Playford looks down upon you and asks, 'Why is it you're more interested in medicinal marijuana than you are in privatising assets?'

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Ms CHAPMAN: A lecture to Her Majesty's Opposition is in defiance of your earlier ruling, and I ask the Treasurer to either answer the question—

The SPEAKER: But everyone's having so much fun.

Ms CHAPMAN: Well, that may be so. We just want to know how this amount is going to be treated. It's a pretty simple question. If he can't answer it, he can stay sitting down.

The SPEAKER: Has the Treasurer finished?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have, sir.