The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:03): 

I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Industrial Relations about industrial relations matters.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: 

It was reported in The Australian that the Albanese Labor government had not consulted with business groups about its new industrial relations legislation before it went public with its multi-employer wage bargaining idea. The National Farmers' Federation isn't impressed with the wage bargaining bill and the proposed changes, and The Australian newspaper said that the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Andrew McKellar and Business Council of Australia Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott also rejected the fresh concessions flagged by Labor.

Business groups fear that multi-employer bargaining will lead to strikes, wage rises unlinked to productivity and higher prices, which will feed into inflation. The matter is important—

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:04): 

I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Acting Minister for Local Government a question regarding council amalgamations.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: 

As we know, the Local Government Association of SA has come out against forced amalgamation, but on 6 September, when Premier Peter Malinauskas announced his intention to hold a plebiscite to investigate council mergers in the South-East, he said, 'In my numerous visits to the Limestone Coast, this issue was repeatedly raised,' as well as saying, 'Council mergers have long been a matter of debate in the South-East.'

On Sunday, it was revealed that the South-East voted with an overwhelming 70 per cent against the move, which is contrary to the Premier's statement. My questions to the acting local government minister are:

1. Who were the people that the Premier spoke to on his numerous visits to the Limestone Coast?

2. With over 70 per cent voting against the merger, will the Malinauskas government admit that they got it wrong?

3. Will the minister please explain to the South-East community why the Malinauskas government is not taking their views seriously?

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:15): I move:

That this Council—

1. Recognises that AnglicareSA has been supporting South Australians in need for more than 150 years;

2. Acknowledges the contributions of more than 1,800 AnglicareSA staff and 400 volunteers who support more than 55,000 people each year; and

3. Notes the valuable role that AnglicareSA plays in South Australia through its social service programs including housing and homelessness, NDIS services, aged care, foster care, emergency assistance, financial counselling and literacy, Aboriginal services, new arrivals, children, youth and families.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:05): I move:

 That this council—

 1. Congratulates Lions Australia for celebrating its 75th anniversary in September 2022;

 2. Recognises Lions Clubs throughout Australia, including those in South Australia, who are involved in establishing and managing a range of meaningful projects and foundations to support a wide variety of community needs; and

 3. Notes the significant contributions Lions Clubs make in funding vital medical research, improving health care, assisting adults and children with disabilities, responding to natural disasters and emergencies and improving the lives of others.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:46): 

Supplementary: can the Attorney-General indicate to the house whether he has received any briefing, any briefing at all, about the CFMEU from his department regarding any matters about the construction industry?

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.B. Martin:

 That this council—

1. Acknowledges that 2022 marks the 50^thyear of the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC);
2. Recognises the significant social, cultural and economic contributions the SAFC has made to the State of South Australia; and
3. Congratulates all those who have contributed to the fantastic array of films, television series and games that have been produced by the SAFC since 1972.

(Continued from 19 October 2022.)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (17:11): I am pleased to rise today on behalf of the Liberal Party to speak to the motion to acknowledge 50 years of achievements of the South Australian Film Corporation.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:52): It is a great privilege today to rise to speak about the Conservation and Hunting Alliance of South Australia, also known as CHASA.

It was an honour to be invited by CHASA to attend its 12^th Wine and Wild Food Dinner held on Friday 28 October 2022.

I wish to place my special thanks and congratulate CHASA President Graham Stopp, Vice President Rob West, Secretary Vicki Fabris, Treasurer Con Pantelios, and the entire CHASA team and supporters for presenting an informative, intriguing and, above all, a delightful and sumptuous dinner.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:41): 

In question time on 18 October, in responding to a question regarding round 6 of the Building Better Regions Fund, and the application for funding for the Mount Gambier and District Saleyards project, the minister said:

What I have done is advocate on a number of occasions to a number of different ministers—and my office has been in contact with those ministerial officers on a number of occasions—to impress upon them the importance of this program and how important it is for our local region in the South-East.

My questions to the minister are:

1. In light of the decision by the federal government to scrap the Building Better Regions Fund and cut the $250 million allocated to round 6, will the minister now admit that she has been utterly ineffective as an advocate?

2. Will the minister also admit that she has failed the South-East community as a minister?

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:29): 

In the 2021-22 annual report, the equal opportunity commissioner has called for a review into harassment in South Australia's hospitality industry. While a range of industry bodies have signalled they would be open to a review taking place, they are not prepared to fund such a review, particularly at a time when the hospitality industry is struggling with rising costs and labour shortages, and still recovering from the disruption of the COVID pandemic.

It is expected that a review into discrimination, abuse and sexual harassment in the hospitality industry would uncover significant under-reporting of such incidents, with young people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds at most risk of being exploited or harassed. My questions to the Attorney-General are:

1. Has the Attorney-General read the 2021-22 annual report of the office of the equal opportunity commissioner?

2. Has the Attorney-General met with the commissioner to discuss the concerns raised in the annual report?

3. Does the Attorney-General agree that it is his responsibility, as Minister for Industrial Relations, to work with agencies to achieve fair, equitable and productive workplaces?

4. Will the government commit to such a review, recommended by the equal opportunity commissioner?

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:40): 

Supplementary question arising from the answer: can the Leader of the Government indicate when the first meeting of the National Energy Crisis Committee of cabinet will be held, and whether a face-to-face briefing to the opposition and crossbench members will be done because this is such an important issue?