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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-05-15 Daily Xml
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Joyce Review

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:30): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment regarding the Joyce review.

Leave granted.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: The Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment is in a state of chaos. Termed as a bureaucratic bloodbath, the acting CE of the department—

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: Point of order: the honourable member has used opinion, stating that the department is in a state of chaos. It is not fact and I disagree with it. It's an opinion and I ask her to withdraw.

The PRESIDENT: I would rule on it, the Hon. Mr Hood, but members of your own back bench were talking and I could not hear.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: I don't need your advice, Treasurer. Start again, the Hon. Ms Bourke, and take your time.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Thank you, Mr President.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Because it's your time you are wasting.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Stephens, I am going to allow this question if you continue to interject from the back bench. I can hear you clearly and it displeases me greatly.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Great acoustics in this place. The Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment is in a state of chaos. Termed as a bureaucratic bloodbath, the acting CE of the department has effectively disbanded—

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: Point of order: the member has just stated that the department is in a state of chaos. That is an opinion. I ask it to be withdrawn.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: You may restrain yourselves—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The point of order has some foundation, so please restrain the language you are using—

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: For the purpose of proceeding, I will withdraw the comment; thank you.

The PRESIDENT: —and limit the brief explanations to simple factual matters.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: The acting CE of the department has effectively disbanded the entire senior level of management—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Bourke, just hold there. Leader of the Opposition, if you could be quiet—I cannot hear the Hon. Ms Bourke. Please start again.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: And nor can I, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: I don't need your advice, the Hon. Mr Ridgway. You should be listening to the question yourself because you are about to answer it.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: If I can't hear it, what do I do?

The PRESIDENT: When you address me, you stand as well. The Hon. Ms Bourke, start again. We are going to be here all day, but we are going to hear this question.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Perhaps we could stop the clock just to help out a little bit. The acting CE of the department has effectively disbanded the entire senior level management less than one year since the department came into being. The acting CE said that he 'did not propose these changes as a result of any discussion with the Premier or the minister'. During this state of crisis late last year, South Australia suffered its worst trade performance in 30 years as a proportion of national share and was the worst performing state in the entire country. My questions to the minister are:

1. How many separation packages have been offered to staff in the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment?

2. How many experienced trade staff have lost their jobs so far under your watch?

3. Given the CE made the decision without consulting the minister, can the minister explain why he was not included in any conversations about significant changes in his own department?

4. After more than a year of being in government, why does the minister have no functioning department structure?

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: Under your watch, trade is going south.

The PRESIDENT: Are you finished, the Hon. Mr Wortley? I would like to hear the minister's answer. Minister.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:33): I thank the honourable member for her question. I certainly don't have a list or a number of packages on any of the restructure of the acting chief executive. Of the members opposite, two have been ministers. They know that that's not a role for the minister to be involved in. That's actually the chief executive—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: You might have been deeply involved with what—

The PRESIDENT: Minister, number one, it is through me; two, just stay there. Opposition benches, I cannot hear the minister. If you want an answer, you are going to have to listen to him in silence. Minister.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Mr President, I don't know how involved with—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, I have just given you a warning.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I am uncertain as to what the former government used to do. We have three former ministers. I forgot the Hon. Mr Wortley was a minister for a little while. I am not sure how they ran their departments. They obviously were a lot more hands on, as the Labor Party would be. They would be—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, sit down. The Hon. Ms Lee.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: No, no, the Hon. Mr Ngo, there's no supplementaries. We are moving on.

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