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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-02-27 Daily Xml
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Flinders Chase National Park

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Water. Can the minister update the house on the eco-sensitive accommodation currently being proposed for Kangaroo Island, and what changes have been made since the previous government announced this in early 2018?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (14:58): I thank the member for Narungga for that very pertinent question given there has been some coverage in recent days about concerns with respect to nature-based tourism activity which is being planned for Kangaroo Island.

In fact, it is an issue that I raised in parliament last year in response to a question from the government as to the government's support—and historic bipartisan support—for these sorts of activities, because we know how important the visitor economy is. We know that nature-based tourism and the incredible natural assets are part of South Australia's landscape. They are so important in drawing people to visit our state and, in turn, investing in our state and spending money in our economy. It all works towards creating jobs and doing great things for South Australia.

This is a great state, and that is why this government, when we were in opposition, was so confident in supporting the previous government's work around nature-based tourism. It is with great disappointment that that bipartisan support seems to have fallen by the wayside. Not only did we get a media release today from the opposition calling for the axing of the project, which is on Kangaroo Island, but I have also had very concerning correspondence from the member for Mawson about this. The project in question—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: The project in question, which the opposition are now calling to be axed, they gave it a grant of $832,000.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: They backed this project so strongly out of the Future Jobs Fund. The member for West Torrens, with the support of Ian Hunter and the member for Mawson, when he was a minister, who put out a joint media release, made quite clear that they loved this project and that they would give it $832,000.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: I then—

The Hon. S.S. Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: I then receive a letter from the member for Mawson, and it's taken me some weeks to respond because I was so shocked by it.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: Lazy!

The SPEAKER: Is the member for Mawson interjecting out of his seat?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: I've just been called lazy by the man who spent half of question time outside. The member for Mawson's letter alludes to the fact that there was a change. He says that this work was taking place at, initially, two sites. It was initially two sites. Do you know how many it is now? Initially, two; it's still two. His letter then says that he is concerned about seven sleeping pods with—

The SPEAKER: Is the minister reading the letter?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: No, I'm not. I am looking at some quotes. I am happy to table the letter, though.

The SPEAKER: Thank you.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: More than happy to.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order: it will be accompanied by a government docket. All of that docket should be tabled.

The SPEAKER: I have the point of order. The minister has agreed to table the document, but I will have a look. If it is attached to anything else, then I will come across that when I get to it. Thank you, minister.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: When the government approved this project, how many structures did it have? It had 22 structures involved; now, 20. The central community hub within this formerly under the previous government had 190 square metres; now, 172 square metres. It's a bad day for the member for Mawson. He slipped right down the ranks, right down the backbench and he's been seen to be just playing petty politics. It is very sad that—

The SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired.

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