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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-02-22 Daily Xml
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Citadel Secure

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:44): I will just put it this way to the Premier then, my question is to the Premier. Is the Premier aware of any media comments attributed to an anonymous Labor spokesperson relating to Citadel? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Asking us to respond to media reports and, of course, standing order 96: related to government business.

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

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morialta will be heard on a point of order under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The question related to comments by what was purported to be a government spokesperson, presumably an employee responsible to the Premier.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: It is entirely within his responsibility to the house. Speaker Atkinson, Speaker Teague, Speaker Tarzia and, I am sure, yourself have all ruled questions in relation to the behaviour of government and ministerial staffers and media advisers in order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Florey, you are warned and on a final warning. You will depart if there is an additional interjection from you. In fairness, I do not want to work an unfairness to the member for Heysen. He hasn't in fact finished his question, so I am going to give him that opportunity.

Mr TEAGUE: I have sought leave to explain.

Leave granted.

The SPEAKER: Member for Heysen, I will hear the question in its entirety.

Mr TEAGUE: In an Advertiser article published, as I understand it, on 22 February, a Labor spokesperson is quoted as having said:

Mr O'Hanlon's business does not engage in lobbying, nor is it required to be registered as a lobbyist.

How is the government in a position to speak for and on behalf of Citadel as to whether or not it engages in lobbying or any other activity?

The SPEAKER: I think, rather, that is the difficulty: the government can't, presumably, speak on behalf of Citadel.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! A minister may find it difficult to do that but, in addition, what has been advanced is that there is some statement by a Labor person, whoever that may be. It has not been suggested that that person is an employee of the state. I am having a good deal of difficulty with admitting this question. I see that the Leader of Government Business was seeking to address me. I will take that point of order and I will turn to the member for Morialta.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order: standing order 96. This does not relate to government business.

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The point of order is again related to 96. It is clear from the way the question was framed and that the statements have been reported that it is to be assumed that it is a media adviser from the government, somebody responsible to the Premier for their employment—and if it is not, then the usual course will be for the Premier, in his response, to say so.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I am having a good deal of difficulty with this line of argument. I am not sure the opposition is advancing the case. I will turn to the Treasurer if he is seeking to address me on a point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: On a point of order, I am now concerned that this is straying into a matter of privilege. We have now had the Deputy Leader of the Opposition assert on two occasions—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —that it is a government spokesperson. A matter of privilege: that it is a government spokesperson that issued a comment to the media, which was referred to by the member for Heysen. It is clear in the media article that it was a party spokesperson, and we have already had a ruling on party matters not being of relevance to question time. So I am concerned, Mr Speaker, that on two different occasions now, consecutively, we have had the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seek to mislead you in making a point of order.

The SPEAKER: I am going to dispose of the matter immediately. I am going to rule the question out of order. I am going to turn to the member for Torrens.

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