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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-07-06 Daily Xml
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West Adelaide Hellas Soccer Club

Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (14:25): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Did the minister or any member of his ministerial staff advocate for a local sports club grant of $2 million for the West Adelaide Hellas Junior Soccer Club?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of Government Business.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:26): I've got to say that I find this questioning a little bit offensive. The Greek community of South Australia are very proud of the West Adelaide Hellas Soccer Club. The West Adelaide Hellas Soccer Club have a long and proud history. They are the only NSL club to have won a national title, and the Greek community are very proud of that. I remember as a young boy going to Hindmarsh Stadium to watch my heroes play for West Adelaide.

The Greek community are very proud of all of our community organisations, whether they be the football community, whether they be church organisations, whether they be local community organisations that—like the Italian community, the Serbian community, the Croatian community and the Chinese community—have links back to their mother countries. They named their community clubs after those organisations, like West Adelaide Hellas, which is named after the Republic of Greece.

I am very proud of it and, yes, I have advocated for them during the election campaign. Absolutely I have. Why? Because they have lots of young people in the western suburbs who want to play football, the greatest game in the world. It is a game that I love, but I couldn't play very well unfortunately, and I wish I had. I wish I had been better at it.

Mr Brown: A pretty average soccer player.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes. I'm a pretty average soccer player, yes. I have a lot of time for the shadow minister, who I think is a very good and decent person, but these questions stem from a lot of attacks about the Kilburn facility that the West Adelaide seniors club built as a result of grants made by the previous Labor government.

Like a lot of community organisations, they are run by volunteers; they are not run by paid professionals. They are run by people who just want their kids to go out and have a run. They want their kids to go out and do well, like the same volunteers who run AFL clubs and community sports clubs. They need assistance and we are happy to help them. What we won't do is use them politically, use their volunteers in a way to try to besmirch or attack our opponents.

We have done absolutely nothing wrong other than support a community club. I say to the opposition: when you attack one part of the Greek community, you attack all of it because the people who go to those clubs are the ones who go to the churches, community clubs, the ones who are volunteers at a range of groups, and when they see these attacks on the West Adelaide Hellas Soccer Club they know where it is coming from.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Florey is called to order. The member for Chaffey is warned. I will hear the member for Morialta.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens will come to order. I will hear the member for Morialta under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I make the point that the question was very straightforward: did the member or his staff advocate for a particular grant to a particular club? I submit the minister is now entering into debate.

The SPEAKER: The question, of course, is whether the minister is engaged with the substance of the question. I will listen carefully.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: When our community faces this type of political and, I think, quite frankly underhanded attack by the Liberal Party—

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni: You're getting confused with the 'don't trust Habib' campaign.

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley!

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is on one warning.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. Malinauskas: You've done enough damage this week.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier is called to order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: When the former Treasurer in the other place, during estimates, talked about our support for Greek organisations and Greek churches, when the member for Chaffey yelled out across the chamber to me once, 'Can you speak English'—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will hear the member for Chaffey.

Mr WHETSTONE: I take offence at the member for West Torrens accusing me of something I did not commit. I want a withdrawal.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Badcoe is called to order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Chaffey has asked me to reflect, as I understand it, on standing order 127, although it is not entirely clear to me, member for Chaffey, what it is you are seeking to have withdrawn or what the apology would relate to. I accept it is a subjective question. I will hear you again under 127, but I do warn you that you are on one warning and that you are continuing to interject. Member for Chaffey, perhaps you will provide the chamber with some additional detail, and then I am keen to move forward.

Mr WHETSTONE: Thank you, sir. I take offence at the member for West Torrens accusing me of something that was said in this chamber some time ago. It was incorrect, and I want him to withdraw.

The SPEAKER: Again, member for Chaffey, I am not necessarily sure you have elucidated quite clearly what it is you would like to have withdrawn. This is the difficulty. If you have said something in this chamber and the member for West Torrens has reflected on something you have said, then the matter is a mere statement of fact. What is it that you wish to have withdrawn?

Mr WHETSTONE: The member for West Torrens has accused me of telling him to speak English.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Chaffey, I'm not going to rule on this just for the moment. I'm going to ask the clerks to bring to me whether there was ever a statement from you that you told another member to speak English. If you haven't said it, I will revisit the matter. If you have, in fact, said it, it may be that you have drawn a matter to my attention that is now disrupting question time. I am going to turn to the next question.

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