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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-07-01 Daily Xml
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Government Procurement

Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (14:37): As often is the case, sir. What role did the minister's office have in awarding over $70 million in government contracts interstate and overseas since the start of 2015?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:37): I assume what the Liberal Party is saying is that all procurement should be done within the state and that we should not do any procurement at all. I can assure members opposite that that $70 million figure is not the entire amount that we procure, so for example—

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is on the precipice.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: What we are attempting to do is to make sure that we get the balance right. South Australia has always been an exporting state; we will always export. We export our wheat, our barley, our grains, our food, our manufactured goods. If we only produced enough to service ourselves—

Ms Sanderson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Adelaide is warned a second and final time.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —there would be a lot less farmers, a lot less manufacturers, a lot less small businesses. We have always exported and we have to be very careful we don't get retaliation from the other states, because our biggest trading partners are of course the eastern seaboard. They are our biggest trading partners and of course we are a trading nation. Australia has always traded. So if members opposite are actually saying we should put up the walls and be a protectionist state, they are wrong.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Mr GARDNER: Attempting to characterise what he believes the opposition is saying, the minister is clearly debating, sir.

The SPEAKER: I don't uphold the point of order because the Treasurer is allowed to explore certain obvious implications of—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is warned a second and final time. Would he continue, please.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: As of February—

Mr Wingard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mitchell is called to order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Mr Speaker, as of February—

Mr Wingard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mitchell is called to order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have upset the comrades; I am very sorry. These initiatives are a practical example of how the government's procurement reforms are giving a real and direct benefit to small to medium-sized businesses in South Australia, and actively contributing to the government's priority of making South Australia the best place to do business—on top of our tax reforms, on top of our WorkCover reforms, on top of abolishing eight state taxes.

This government has done more for business, more for reforming our tax system, than the comrades opposite ever have. Members opposite have more in common with Mark Parnell and Tammy Franks than they do with Sir Thomas Playford. He looks down so disapprovingly at all of them. When will the younger members rise up and retake their party?

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: A point of order, but everyone is having such a good time—if I may channel Captain Louis—

Mr GARDNER: But standing order 98 does not account for your entertainment, sir.

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