Question Time

Government Consultants

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the leader of the chamber, representing the Premier, a question about consultants' out-of-pocket expenses.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: As members will recall, I asked some questions yesterday in relation to the out-of-pocket expenses of Mr Göran Roos, who has been a consultant to the government here on a number of fronts. I know he was a Thinker in Residence, but in recent times he took up permanent residency. Yesterday I had the good fortune to come across a couple of invoices, and I have had that same good fortune and have discovered a couple more. It is of interest to the chamber that Mr Roos is becoming a permanent resident, and I have a copy of an invoice here from a local Adelaide firm for migration and relocation services for Professor G. Roos and his family for $22,500, plus GST, taking it to $24,750.

Of interest also is an invoice I have for the cost of freighting his personal effects—the shipment of household and personal effects. The cost of that was some £7,412. If you do the conversion on today's rate, it's $13,469 to ship his personal effects out. Of added interest, in the details of that invoice is the insurance which is, I think by the look of it, £2,945. I thought that was exorbitant, but then I realised it was based on the value of the goods being shipped. There were £105,190 worth of goods, which worked out to be, on today's exchange rate, $191,158 worth of goods that were shipped out here by the taxpayers of South Australia.

Mr Roos has gone on to do a number of consultancies, and I am fortunate to have a copy of his professional fee for the GM Holden project of some $200,000, and his invoice for the defence project Land 400 supply chain visit to Europe, $100,000. Of course, we know he is the chair of the Advanced Manufacturing Council, and he has been paid $75,000 for that.

He was also chair of the VTT organisation in Finland, which is the Technical Research Centre of Finland. It is interesting to note that it was, I believe, Mr Roos who recommended to the government that VTT do the cellulose fibre chain value study in Mount Gambier. My questions to the minister are:

1. What is the government policy on out-of-pocket expenses and is there a financial cap on those out-of-pocket expenses?

2. Does the minister think spending $13,500 on freight and nearly $25,000 on migration and relocation services is good use of taxpayers' money?

3. Can the minister bring back to the house what the selection process was that saw VTT chosen for the fibre chain value study, did it go to tender and who were the unsuccessful bidders for that project?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:27): I thank the honourable member for his most important question directed at the inspirational leader of this council on behalf of the Premier in the other place. I undertake to take that question to the appropriate person in the other place and seek a response on his behalf.