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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-30 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:27): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Tourism on the subject of the Entertainment Centre corporate box.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Today the Treasurer announced that the government is giving up its schmoozing suite—No. 27—at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, at a saving of some $300,000 over four years, which the Treasurer described as a place for 'ministers to provide entertainment generally to stakeholders in the areas of their portfolios'. My questions for the minister are:

1 If the government is so concerned about being seen to be cutting the cloth, as the Treasurer put it, why did the minister not simply cancel the lease when she sacked the CEO of the tourism board?

2. Can she take on notice and provide to the chamber the number of parliamentary staff and unionists who have used that suite in the last 12 months?

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) (14:28): Again, what do we see in this place? The government makes an announcement about doing away with our corporate box as part of budget savings, as part of pulling our belt in, and what do we get? More whingeing and whining and carping and moaning and griping from the opposition. That is what we get. It is absolutely pathetic. That is all we get: whingeing, whining, groaning, bemoaning, bagging, and talk about lazy!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Gazzola and the Hon. Mr Ridgway will stop debating the issues across the floor.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Thank you, Mr President. The government has always sought to use the corporate box to promote the state to visitors and potential investors. We have also used the box to celebrate the achievements of volunteers, community groups and other non-government organisations and the like. However, we believe that, in this budget, the government needs to pull its belt in, so we have done away with our corporate box.

If the honourable member wants any detailed information about the box, that is available. She can put in an FOI request. All that information is available. It is all there, open and on the record. It is completely open and transparent. They need to get off their tails. They are lazy—completely lazy and indifferent. So, if they want that information, it is there. All the have to do is ask for it.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Lensink has a supplementary.

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