Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-27 Daily Xml

Contents

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (15:46): I have a supplementary question about the in-principle agreement. What financial contributions will be required for the presence in the Fujian Province?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (15:46): These are matters with a level of detail that will need to be discussed and negotiated. They are complex matters and we are in the very early stages. We will get to that stage and, at the moment, we are also working with the Australia China chamber, a very important Chinese and Australian group of investors. They are partnering in this as well and have been party to these discussions. The Chinese government has considered them to be an ambassador for China in these discussions. There is significant private—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: It's just an open-ended thing.

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Ridgway!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: There is significant potential private sector money—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Didn't take the visitor information centre as an example of how to manage—

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Ridgway.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —significant private sector Chinese money—

An honourable member: Chuck him out.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Please.

The PRESIDENT: That's what he wants. He's going to sit there and take his medicine.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —that we are including in this partnership, which is more than the opposition ever did when it was in power.