Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-03 Daily Xml

Contents

National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15:25): Supplementary arising from the answer: does the minister have any idea at all how many new houses are estimated to be needed over the next 10 years and is she aware of what federal department conducted the expert review on this?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:25): Thank you for the supplementary question. Those questions are somewhat germane to the negotiations and therefore I'm not going to be going into detail about—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: They're not. It's a published document. You don't know what department. You don't know what number. Just say you don't know.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Why don't you just sit and listen.

The PRESIDENT: Let the minister answer.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: If you don't know, just say. If you have that little interest, just say you don't know.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Just calm down and listen to the answer.

The PRESIDENT: Hon. Mr Ridgway, I don't need your assistance in my role.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, quiet. Minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I'm just at a loss with the Leader of the Opposition. He thinks he knows everything and yet he doesn't. One wonders what his government did. I think it would be nice for the Leader of the Opposition to come clean about what discussions took place in the lead-up to the expiry of this important agreement about whether cabinet approved any funding going forward and whether there were any discussions going forward.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: You are the minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Yes, I am the minister and I am negotiating in the best—

The PRESIDENT: Do not engage with the Leader of the Opposition. Do it through me.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I apologise, Mr President. We are negotiating in the best interests of South Australians and people living in remote communities and information will be made available once these matters are concluded.