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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-04-30 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Member for Kavel

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:09): My question is to the Premier. Has the Premier entered into a formal agreement with the member for Kavel prior to him entering the cabinet and, if so, will he table any document? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: Upon entering the South Australian cabinet in 2014, the member for Stuart, then the member for Frome, signed an agreement with Premier Weatherill to support stable and effective government.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:09): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. Naturally, as the Leader of the Opposition will well appreciate, the circumstances regarding Geoff Brock coming into the cabinet post the 2014 election are very different circumstances to the parliament that we have today. As a government we are very grateful for the fact that we have a stable majority, and a party that is united and committed to the task that we have got before us. Having said that, as a government we have made it clear that we have an aspiration to be able to engage with members of the parliament with a cross-section of opinions and experiences.

It is undoubtedly true that our government has been stronger and better for the contribution of a regional Independent in the form of the member for Frome—sorry, the member for Stuart, I should say. The member for Frome—who knows what the future might hold, but with the member for Stuart, the former member for Frome, we have been a better government for his contribution to the executive arm of government. It was with some regret that we no longer have the member for Stuart in his former capacity, but it is great to see the member for Stuart here today looking so healthy and somewhat relieved, somewhat younger.

In that context the judgement was formed that the government would be well served by the member for Kavel to be here within the government. There is no formal agreement, in answer to the Leader of the Opposition's question, but there should be no misapprehension, that is not to say there aren't very firm expectations from me as the Premier on the minister for his commitment to cabinet solidarity, to his commitment to the government writ large.

He, of course, is not a member of the parliamentary Labor Party, he is not a member of the caucus and that does afford the minister with a degree of greater flexibility than what would be the case if he were a member of the caucus. I respect and absolutely anticipate that the minister, the member for Kavel, will remain true to his independence as something that I know he is insistent upon, which is a good thing, and which is a healthy thing, but in terms of as a member of the government we are very grateful for his services. But again, the government is in the fortunate position, one that we do not take for granted, of not having to rely upon any particular Independent in order to provide stability for the government.

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