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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-10-19 Daily Xml
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MINISTERIAL STAFF

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:00): I seek leave to make an explanation prior to directing a question to the Leader of the Government on the subject of the incompetence of the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Earlier in question time today, the minister made the outrageous accusation that I had just come into this chamber and made up the numbers in relation to the number of staff within her own ministerial office when I suggested that there were at least another five or six staff above the 12.6 revealed in various other documents. The minister then went on, perhaps unwisely, to suggest that I should 'cough up or shut up'.

After two years or so of battling freedom of information, the confidential Ministers' Directory (not for distribution list) from May 2011—and I have a number of these going back over two or three years—lists the following staff positions in the minister's office. I am happy to mention the individual officers' names if the minister does not recognise the staff within her own office, but at this stage I will just give the titles.

Chief of staff; ministerial adviser—regional development and SA Lotteries; ministerial adviser—public sector management, status of women; ministerial adviser—consumer affairs, Service SA; media adviser; ministerial liaison officer—regional development and public sector management; ministerial liaison officer—status of women (part-time); ministerial liaison officer—consumer affairs and government enterprises; office manager; research officer and speech writer (part-time); personal assistant to the minister; personal assistant to the chief of staff; legislation/parliamentary liaison officer; senior business officer; cabinet and parliamentary support officer; ministerial assistant; a business support officer; another business support officer; and a receptionist.

In total, depending on the part-time staffing, between 18 and 19 full-time equivalent staff are within the minister's office. Of course, the ministerial driver is listed on the directory, but I have not added that driver to those numbers. My questions are as follows:

1. Does she now agree that the official ministerial staffing list lists between 18 and 19 full-time equivalent staff within her own personal office?

2. Does she now agree that approximately six of those staff are not revealed in the budget documents under the ministerial office section for the minister and are paid for by various departments and agencies that report to her, but are not revealed in the budget documents?

3. Will she now apologise to the house for misleading this house when she claimed that I had just made up the fact that she actually had 18 or 19 staff in her personal ministerial office?

4. Given that she does not know how many personal staff she has within her own personal ministerial office, does she now concede that she really is a bit of a dill?

The PRESIDENT: The honourable minister will ignore any opinion in the question.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (15:03): That means I would not be answering the question, Mr President.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Imagine not knowing how many staff you have in your own office!

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Lucas asked the question and sat down, and he will now will shut up and listen to the answer. The honourable minister.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I certainly do stand by my comments that the Hon. Rob Lucas regularly comes into this chamber with figures that he cannot substantiate and, in fact, misinformation. I recall one time him coming in here and alleging that I attended a meeting that in fact I never did attend, and yet he stood there and insisted that I had. I remember him coming into this chamber insisting that I had asked a question on notice. I read out the question that he had asked me, yet he still insisted that I had asked another question. I could give many examples of his coming in here and putting any old figure on the table, making up any old statement, any old allegation. Time and time again he has been caught out, and I stand by those comments.

In terms of the number of staff in my office, I have already answered that question. I have said that I am not absolutely sure on the number of FTEs that are employed in my office. I have a rough idea of the numbers, but the exact number of FTEs—whether it is 12.2, 12.5, 13.1—I have already said I am not sure of. They do fluctuate. They fluctuate from time to time and, therefore, at any one point in time I could not give you the exact number of FTEs.

There are a number of staff employed. The titles that the Hon. Rob Lucas read out were not FTEs. They were not FTEs at all; not all of those people are full-time. He makes assumptions that they are all full FTEs. Well, they are not. He can read out all the lists he likes; it still does not determine the exact number of FTEs.

I have indicated that I am happy to take that on notice and bring back a response. He can ask the same question a thousand times. I have already said I do not know the exact figure, so he can keep asking and he is going to get the same number. I will not resile from the fact that he regularly comes into this chamber with misinformation, badly researched questions and he simply makes things up when he chooses.

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