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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-05-18 Daily Xml
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GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (15:49): I rise today to urge John Rau and Jay Weatherill—the two pretenders to the Premier's crown—to relieve themselves of the burden or, as Richard Nixon said to Dwight D. Eisenhower, 'Get off the pot.' The Labor government is no longer tearing itself to shreds: it is already shredded. It has lost the state's confidence, and it has betrayed its public's trust.

The former deputy premier—that failed treasurer, Kevin Foley—makes a fool of himself and therefore the government. Every month, there is a new outrage, another new embarrassment. Yesterday, he sank to lows so low that even the barometric pressure over Parliament House dropped. I have never before seen a man accused in the Magistrates Court come into parliament and use the cover of parliamentary privilege to make a statement about a personal matter that properly belongs in the court. No other citizen in South Australia would behave in such a dastardly and, to my mind, despicable way.

The President of the Law Society, Mr Ralph Bonig, said this morning that ordinary victims and ordinary accused do not have the ability to attack other people in parliament. As to Mr Foley's dual exposure as a supposed victim and as police minister, here is what Mr Bonig said:

As police minister, you would assume that he has nothing at all to do with the investigation of this or, in fact, the other complaint which was withdrawn last week. But there is sometimes a difference between actual conflict and the perception that the general members of the public may have about whether or not there's a conflict.

Mr Foley should stand aside. If he does not stand aside by the end of the week, he should be sacked. He is a wolf in wolf's clothing who said he was ready for the job of premier. The man who was once the future now belongs to the past. His only redeeming feature is his back—if he lets us see the back of him as he leaves this building for the last time.

If Mr Rann does not have the guts to kick this embarrassing failure out of the ministry, Mr Rann himself must go. The job of premier must go to somebody else. Mike Rann knows that, if the member for Port Adelaide walks the plank, the sword will soon turn to the captain. The Premier is too scared to act against Mr Foley.

Mr Rau and Mr Weatherill have to take on the Premier. They must challenge for the job. The aspirants must act. Between elections, only the Labor caucus can appoint a premier. Parliament cannot do it; the opposition cannot do it. Ministers Rau and Weatherill can if they have what it takes, but they do not. They are cowering in the corner, watching Kevin Foley flail his arms, obsessed, depressed and morose.

However, neither Mr Rau nor Mr Weatherill are blameless. As ministers in the Rann government, they have sat around the cabinet table as the $2.73 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital fiasco has unfolded. They have watched and complied with the Labor Party bruisers as questionable planning decisions have been approved by the cabinet in which they have served. They have approved cost blowouts in the desal plan; they have voted collectively to sell our forests and close our country hospitals, and stalled an independent commission against official crime and corruption. They agreed to Mr Foley's rack 'em, stack 'em and pack 'em and refused to make him accountable for forgetting how much Adelaide Oval would actually cost.

John Rau might say that he has been in cabinet for only 18 months, but Mr Weatherill has weathered the lot, the full catastrophe. Of course, he is the man for all seasons. Even 18 months is long enough to have collected some grime from Labor, and minister Rau has plenty of grime upon him. However, Kevin Foley's time is up, so the alarm bells are ringing. It is now time for Mr Rau and Mr Weatherill to ask not for whom the bells tolls. They must risk a challenge to Mike Rann because, as the old saying goes, only cowards threaten when they are safe.

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