Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-10-16 Daily Xml

Contents

South-East Drainage System

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:54): Supplementary question: did the minister, the minister's office or the minister's department pressure or instruct the NRM to provide $300,000 and, through that $300,000 with whatever this newDemocracy nonsense is, did the minister know that the $300,000 would be going to a Sydney-based consultancy company?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:55): Here we go with the same old litany from a man who is not ashamed of not being very much of a deep thinker. We heard all this yesterday: close the gates, lock the doors, close the barriers that stop people from actually coming to South Australia and competing for contracts. But he does not think very deeply about what that means for South Australia's innovative businesses.

What about those who go next door into Victoria and New South Wales and get contracts over there? What will it mean if we adopt the policies of the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, which say that we should not actually allow companies from interstate to compete on tender and win because their tenders are best, because that will have absolutely no impact on our businesses in South Australia? Of course it will. What an absolute crock. What nonsense. If we try to stop businesses interstate tendering for programs in South Australia, what will happen is our businesses in South Australia will feel the backlash when Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and WA impose the same conditions on our businesses. Mr Brokenshire with that policy will be responsible for driving South Australia's businesses broke.