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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-03-19 Daily Xml
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Disability Services

Mr DULUK (Waite) (15:36): Thank you so much, Mr Speaker. There is a growing trend in how members of the Labor Party, and in particular at the moment the member for Hurtle Vale, are using community organisations and vulnerable individuals for their own political purpose, so let's look at a bit of the record so far.

Firstly, in May 2018, the newly elected Marshall Liberal government reintroduced Labor's 2017 Disability Inclusion Bill. There was only one minor change between the two bills and that was the date. Rather than allow the bill through, Labor decided in opposition to introduce a range of amendments to mandate the establishment of an independent disability advocate within the office of the equal opportunity commissioner.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir: the member is reflecting on votes of the house within the same session.

The SPEAKER: Sorry, was it of the last parliament, member for Waite, or the current parliament?

Mr DULUK: The bill has passed the house.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully. Will the member just repeat the last couple of sentences.

Mr DULUK: Sir, during debate in the other house, on a bill which has now passed the parliament, common sense eventually prevailed and I am glad to see that the Legislative Council saw fit to pass the bill.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: That is not what he said.

The SPEAKER: Is the member for Waite talking about a bill that is still before either place?

Mr DULUK: No, sir. The bill has passed the parliament.

The SPEAKER: Okay.

Mr DULUK: At the time of the debate, the member in the other house, the Hon. Clare Scriven, falsely misrepresented that the Labor Party had support for its amendments from a range of disability organisations. Some of these organisations have advised the Liberal Party that, while Labor had emailed them for consultation, they were only given two hours' notice to comment—not even enough time to acknowledge the email. It was a blatant example of disrespect to these organisations during the debate in the other house.

Secondly, on 18 June last year, the member for Hurtle Vale and the Leader of the Opposition convened a round table to discuss funding certainty for community groups. The meeting was ostensibly a fishing expedition to identify programs that might not be funded beyond 30 June 2018.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The member now is imputing improper motives to a member of the parliament.

Mr DULUK: I am not.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: You are.

The SPEAKER: I will listen to this.

Mr DULUK: These were programs that might not be funded beyond 30 June 2018—a reflection of the previous Labor government's short-term and often ad hoc approach to funding priorities. We have been advised, and the minister has been advised, that some of the participants attending the round table were informed that footage taken from the event would not be used in any way. That footage was then used in a clear breach of trust, and that footage was published on social media.

Thirdly, in 2012, the former Labor government decided to close the Strathmont Centre—the former residential campus for people with intellectual disabilities. In 2014, the former minister, minister Vlahos, issued—

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order.

Mr HUGHES: Mr Speaker, I draw your attention to the state of the house.

A quorum having been formed:

The SPEAKER: The member for Waite.

An honourable member interjecting:

Mr DULUK: Lucky for the people of Whyalla. Thirdly, in 2012, the former Labor government decided to close the Strathmont Centre, the former residential campus for people with intellectual disabilities. In 2014, former minister Vlahos issued six-month leases with the existing users of the Strathmont pool in recognition of the pool's eventual closure. Knowing that the pool was closing, Labor did not invest any money to bring it up to contemporary standards. As a result, the pool suffered the equivalent of a long-term, drawn-out multisystem organ failure.

In the week following its closure, yet another significant maintenance failure occurred. The Department of Human Services worked with all user groups over seven months to find alternative arrangements. Sadly, the government's efforts were actively undermined by the action of Labor members who insisted that the pool remain open in spite of the potential risk that this would present to user safety. It was deceptive and cruel and gave false hope to families and users.

If Labor members had any concerns regarding access to the pool prior to the 2018 election, why did they not push for a swimming pool to be included in the Lightsview recreational precinct? Any claims by the local member for Torrens or any other member that Labor had plans for a new pool in the area are misleading. The Department of Human Services has checked several times, and there is no evidence that Labor had planned for an alternative once the Strathmont pool closed.

To say in one breath that Labor never made any decision to close the Strathmont pool and then, in another, to admit that this was in fact Labor's plan, as the member for Hurtle Vale recently did, again shows the depth Labor went to to hide its own inadequacies whilst in government. It is no surprise that the party that was deceptive in government, as we know it was in regard to Strathmont and especially in regard to the Repat in my community, is again being deceptive in opposition.

Finally, we have seen over the past few weeks Labor members naming various community organisations under parliamentary privilege to score political points. The member for Hurtle Vale often refers to her work in the community sector, much of which is so valid, but I really wish that she would stop bending the truth and misleading the house in terms of the work of community organisations.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Yes. I ask the member for Waite to withdraw the statement that she is misleading the house.

Mr DULUK: Sir, I withdraw that statement.

Ms Cook: And apologise, sir.

The SPEAKER: I have asked him to withdraw. He has withdrawn it.

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