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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-13 Daily Xml
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AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:49): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion a question about the Australian Centre for Social Innovation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: I have recently become aware that South Australian taxpayers are funding the Australian Centre for Social Innovation based here in Adelaide. According to the best estimates in the budget papers that I am able to acquire, it comes under the Thinkers in Residence program which costs in total for that area a bit under $7 million per annum—not that this particular part of it costs $7 million per annum. I do not know what this costs, and I will be asking the minister shortly how much that is.

In investigating this organisation, I found a number of very interesting things which I think the minister would be interested in as well. The first thing is the organisation describes itself on its website as follows: 'We are a social innovation laboratory which creates tests and incubates ideas.' As I said, the cost is listed somewhere in the several millions of dollars.

As I was exploring about this organisation, one of the entries on their website from a blog of one of the participants in the projects that this organisation runs said: 'So far as a radical redesigner, I have had to prototype a sandwich, make a best practice cocktail, rapidly prototype a bag for a friend at a codesign camp, formulate ridiculous plans to recruit carers (one of which included a bear suit), analyse something, craft an argument, talk to people on busy streets in suburban Adelaide, and the list continues.'

Another entry goes on to say, 'We have travelled from learning what the heck this project is all about.' Furthermore, the organisation is not able to keep its website up to date, it seems, because up until a week ago it listed its next event as occurring in December 2011—its next event. My questions are:

1. What on earth does this organisation actually do?

2. What is the exact cost to South Australian taxpayers?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:52): I thank the honourable member for his most intriguing question. I have to say that I will take that question on notice and bring back a response for him.

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