Who will be running South Australia when the Government takes five months off prior to the elections is a question puzzling Member for Frome Geoff Brock MP.

Mr Brock plans to make himself unpopular with some of his colleagues by pressing the Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly to consider waiving the tradition of optional Parliamentary sitting weeks before and after Christmas and prior to a State election.

“Effectively, if we take the time off, the South Australian Parliament will be in recess for five months,” Mr Brock said.

“The first week of December has been marked as an ‘optional’ sitting week and the normal process is that we would then go into recess until after the State election in March.”

Mr Brock said he was concerned that the border opening could result in further pandemic emergency declarations and that there would be other matters which Parliament should be discussing and acting on during the next few months.

“If we step away from Parliament for this time there will be no scrutiny of the Government leading up to the election, allowing for no questions about what the government does.

“I am calling for Parliament to continue sitting in the optional week in December, as well as to seriously consider sitting in the following months – it doesn’t make sense to leave the State ungoverned for almost half a year.

“I know some members may not like this, but my concern is that we still have the emergency management Act in place through the Police Commissioner and we should continue spending time in the Parliament.

“Who are we working for – are we working for ourselves or the people of South Australia.”

The decision on sitting weeks is up to the Speaker of the House Dan Cregan MP.

“I have indicated my preferences to the Speaker, and hopefully he will take heed,” Mr Brock said.