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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-06-08 Daily Xml
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Northern Economic Plan

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:01): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government about the leader's embarrassing inability to answer even the most simple questions about the Northern Economic Plan.

The PRESIDENT: We all wait for these lovely questions on the Northern Economic Plan.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Thank you.

The PRESIDENT: Thanks very much. Minister.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: We're very interested in it.

The PRESIDENT: Minister.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Minister? Can I ask the question first? As members will be aware, the government and the minister have announced the Northern Economic Plan, and the minister and the Premier have promised 15,000 new jobs from that plan. This was released in January, although drafts of the document were circulated to stakeholders in the latter months of last year.

The government advertised last weekend for a strategic coordinator, a senior position, to help implement the Northern Economic Plan, but the key body engaged in the strategic direction of the Northern Economic Plan implementation is a body called the Northern Economic and Social Implementation Board. The government's documents describe that key board as a board that will be formed to maintain consistent direction, to scrutinise and endorse project proposals, and to review and report progress.

The government's documents outline that that board was to be so important and critical that there would be an independent chairperson nominated to chair the board; that the three councils would be providing a nomination; the state government, through State Development, Premier and Cabinet, Treasury and Finance would have nominees on the board; there would be three business representatives as northern economic leaders; the University of South Australia would have a representative; and the not-for-profit sector would have a representative on that particular board as well.

Mr President, this was announced in January of this year. As you know, yesterday I asked the minister who is responsible for this a very simple question as to whether or not he had appointed an independent chair of that board. Hansard records the minister's response as follows: 'I will have to check on exactly where that is up to and bring back a reply.' My questions to the minister, now that he has had 24 hours, are:

1. Has any member of the minister's staff now advised him as to whether or not he has actually appointed an independent chair of the Northern Economic and Social Implementation Board and, if he has appointed someone, who is that person?

2. If he has not appointed the person, why hasn't he appointed the independent chair and when does he anticipate the independent chair will be appointed?

3. Can the minister also indicate whether he has appointed the other members of the Northern Economic and Social Implementation Board so that that board, if it has not already, is able to commence and continue the work outlined in the Northern Economic Plan?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for his questions. I am pleased to be able to advise him that the appointment of the chair of that committee will be occurring very shortly. I am also very pleased to be able to further advise him that I am advised that the people who constitute and have been part of the Northern Economic Plan, the councils and the government, meet regularly—the people who make up the body which he has just been talking about.

I am informed the chief executives and senior representatives from government meet about every three weeks to discuss the implementation, so he will be very pleased about that, no doubt. I would like to thank the honourable member for his questions and continued interest in these sorts of things, his continued carping and negativity. I regularly get questions: why is the Hon. Rob Lucas so negative? Why is the Hon. Rob Lucas always talking down northern Adelaide? Why does the Hon. Rob Lucas not have any ideas of his own? I try to defend him, I really do. I try to defend the Hon. Rob Lucas.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Yes, I tell people maybe that is how politics was practised 30 years ago, maybe he is just old school and that is all he knows. I have to say it is getting difficult to bear the load of criticism against him and to continue to defend him, but I will keep trying to defend him. I am glad he raises our plan. We have a plan. We have a plan for South Australia.

The sum total of the Liberal Party's understanding, knowledge and ambition for South Australia is—ironically, the Hon. Rob Lucas holds up, as if he is proud of it, their plan, '2036'. In '2036', as to the issues we are talking about in northern Adelaide, we have had a look through and we cannot see a single mention of northern Adelaide in the whole document. There is not a single mention of Holden workers, not a single mention of the automotive industry, not a single mention of submarines, not a single mention of shipbuilding, not simple mention of naval at all—no costings, no details. However, it mentioned about 159 times the word 'believe', so that's good, isn't it? They believe in something, not anything to do with northern Adelaide, not anything to do with jobs, not anything to do with defence, not anything to do with automotive. Apparently they believe in something 159 times.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: We hear them interjecting, as they often do. Well, at least you are talking about it. They think because something is being talked about it means that it is good. For 600 years, people have talked about the black plague; no-one thinks that is any good. People continue to talk about the St Kilda Football Club. Just because they are talking about it does not mean they think they are any good to win a premiership. People continue to talk about the member for Dunstan's speech before the last election when he encouraged the whole of the state to vote Labor. People talk about that. We think that is pretty good but a lot of your mob do not think that is any good. They mistake something being talked about with something being any good.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Point of order: the minister should be referring his remarks, through you, sir. I didn't think you had a mob, and you would remind the minister that he directs—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: He's got a mop. I said 'mop', a mop of hair.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Mob.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, would you please address all your comments through me?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Thank you, Mr President. I have a whole list of stuff that people have talked about, other things, the new flavour of Barbecue Shapes, they are talked about a lot; no-one thinks they are any good. Clairol's Touch of Yoghurt shampoo, that was talked about a lot; no-one has much good to say about that anymore. They mistake things being talked about with something that is any good. Their 2036 plan—they were so upset that they only had a two-page summary on their ambition for South Australia, but they came up with this 2036 plan. Sometimes it is better for people to think you have no understanding, no ambition, than to put it on paper and prove to the whole of South Australia that it is actually the case.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Lucas has the floor.

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