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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-05-14 Daily Xml
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Environmental Volunteers

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (15:04): Supplementary: does the minister agree that very many of the environmental volunteers he has been talking about are associated with non-government environment organisations; and will the government be making a submission to the federal parliamentary inquiry, which seeks to strip environmental organisations of their tax-deductible status if those volunteer activities extend to advocacy as well as planting trees?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:04): What an excellent question from the Hon. Mr Parnell! He may have heard that I said there were over 400—I think 479—community groups. They would almost all be non-government organisations. Indeed, they are all committed to their local environment and that probably extends to, in fact, speaking up for their local environment.

As I understand it, the federal government is threatening organisations that do that by removing some of their tax advantages, tax benefits or charitable status. That is an outrage, as indeed the honourable member suggests. I should probably raise that with my cabinet to see what the state government can do in persuading the obdurate federal government in its attacks on community, on volunteering and on people who want to speak up for the things they find very valuable.

The Hon. S.G. Wade: Check your welfare contracts before you start.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Mr Wade says check your welfare contracts. I remember very well that, when I was minister for communities and social inclusion, the Premier gave an instruction that we wouldn't go along with the federal government when they were trying to strip away the rights of community organisations to actually speak up for the vulnerable people that they represent. Where were the Liberals then? Where were they? Nowhere to be seen, as usual—nowhere to be seen. They're out there supporting their federal government, stripping away the rights of communities to speak up for their members. They are a shameful bunch of people—a shameful bunch of hypocrites who come in here every day and lick up to what the federal government is doing in their budgets year after year, and they do not stand up for our state.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Point of order: the relevance of the last 30 seconds. Please, Mr President, direct the minister to answer the question and stick to that. We've already had complaints from the crossbenches that we haven't had enough questions today because they are wasting time.

The PRESIDENT: I think you had finished, had you, minister?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I had almost finished, but I think the honourable member needs to be answered, of course, because at a stage when we in this state are being overlooked by the federal government, what do we hear from this bunch over here? What do we hear from this bunch over here? Nothing in the budget about submarines. What did the Treasurer, the Hon. Joe Hockey, have to say to South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: What did the Treasurer, the Hon. Joe Hockey, have to say—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —to South Australia—

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —have to say for our state?

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, sit down.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Where were you?

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: You're hopeless!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! What an outrageous—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The honourable opposition leader should also control some of his side of the fence while allowing me to try to get—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Your behaviour—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Half the interjections, or three-quarters, are from your side of the fence. There is one issue that is quite correct—

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The crossbench must be horrified at the moment. I'd like to see them get at least four questions in today, so, minister, I'd like you to quickly finish your answer so we can get on.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I will dispatch the Hon. Mr Stephens with alacrity, Mr President, the invisible man opposite who says nothing for our state. What does the Treasurer of the commonwealth, the Hon. Joe Hockey, say to South Australia? What does he say to South Australia? Take a number!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: That's the amount of concern—

The PRESIDENT: Minister, sit down. Shame on you with your behaviour, the Hon. Mr Stephens. The Hon. Mr Brokenshire.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Mr President, I will finish—

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Brokenshire has the call.

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