FACILITIES MAINTENANCE SERVICES MANAGEMENT

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome) (14:31):   My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister please update the house on, firstly, if the minister is proposing to continue with the government’s proposed outsourcing of DPTI facility maintenance services management. If so, can the minister please advise when has a regional impact assessment statement been carried out on the possible impacts of local communities with this proposal;, if not, when will this be carried out? 

 

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:31): I thank the member for the question and maybe just to give a little bit of background and context to this, of this amount of maintenance work that has been done—in the last financial year I think it was some $290-odd million—half of that is managed through an outsourced provider which is Spotless; the other half is done through the department. The Spotless contract, I think, was signed in—member for Lee, help me out here, you signed it— The  

Hon. S.C. Mullighan: In 1999 by Diana Laidlaw.  

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —2015. Yes, they signed an outsource contract over there as well—very happy about that they were at the time too. That left the other half of the work still being done by the department. Very sadly, there was an incident that happened up in the Hills, where tragically someone died at a facility, and coronial reports that followed and Ombudsman reports that followed suggested that the management could be done better. With that, we are going through an outsourcing process at the moment for that management.  

What that does ultimately mean as well is that at the moment about 98 per cent of that work, 98 per cent of that $290 million, goes out to small businesses, small tradies and local communities, and that is fantastic. What we want to do is actually take that out to 100 per cent so that all that work is then going out to those local communities and getting them more jobs. So that’s another $6 million actually into the marketplace for the local businesses. 

 We are going through at the moment with a roadshow, going to all the communities, talking to those local businesses, taking them through the process along with the Industry Advocate to make sure that they can have a say in the way that this contract is framed and to make sure that local businesses will have a significant say in that. In fact, I was in the regions this week to speak with some people—again with the member for Narungga, a very good member, working very hard in his community—and talk to a number of those businesses, explaining that this is what was going to happen. 

 I know those opposite were out fearmongering because they went along and handed out signs. Interestingly, they gave signs to people who actually run private businesses saying, ‘Don’t have private contractors,’ which was a little bit ambiguous, but that’s they way they think over there. They don’t want private business to work in private communities, but on the other side we do. We want these will be doing that work. 

So we are out running the roadshows and we will be in your regions too, talking to those people, taking their input on board and, again, working with the Industry Advocate so that when we do move this work to an outsourced contractor, like Labor did in 2015—and, again, if you want more details you can speak to the member for Lee, he signed the contract—we will be taking on board what they have to say and making sure we shape the contract so that they will get that work. 

 An honourable member interjecting:  

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: 2015, sorry, did I—  

Members interjecting: 

 The SPEAKER: Order! 

 The Hon. S.C. Mullighan: Did you think you were in a small bar? Is it time to start yelling someone again?  

The SPEAKER: Order!  

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The member for Lee is almost getting as angry as the leader, almost getting as angry as the member for West Torrens. They’re very angry over there at the moment.  

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will resume his seat. The member for Lee has been on two warnings. The member for Lee will leave for one hour under standing order 137A— 

 The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting: 

 The SPEAKER: —and he will leave in silence.  

The honourable member for Lee having withdrawn from the chamber:  

The SPEAKER: Minister. 

 The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: In the—  

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens on a point of order. 

 Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 127: make personal reflections on other members. Through the contribution of the minister, he has made a number of personal reflections on members. He has also imputed improper motives to us, which I believe not only digresses from 127 but he has also entered into a debate, which again caused a provocation.  

Members interjecting: 

 The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order pursuant to standing order 98. I just indicate to the member for West Torrens that in case there is any personal reflection on a member, it is for that member as a matter of general practice to identify that with some particularity so that it may be ruled on. What I have heard from the member for West Torrens is an observation in the broad. I have not heard a sufficiently particularised point of order. If you would care to particularise it by way of a further point of order, then you may do so. 

 The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: He likes the argy, doesn’t like the bargy. Member for Frome— 

 Members interjecting:  

The SPEAKER: Order!  

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —to complete the answer to your question: yes, we will be out in the regions, we will be speaking to people and taking them on the journey and, yes, we do want to make sure that they are involved in this process so that they have a say in how that contract is framed. We will be doing that in the coming week. 

Members interjecting: 

 The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Frome on a supplementary and, before I call on you, member for Frome, I warn the member for Reynell for a second time and I warn the Minister for Education.  

The member for Frome on a supplementary. 

 

FACILITIES MAINTENANCE SERVICES MANAGEMENT 

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome) (14:36): To the minister. I did ask if a regional impact assessment statement had been carried out to actually identify the impacts either good or bad on those regions, but you didn’t answer that part.  

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:36): What I did say to the member for Frome was there would be the potential for an increase of $6 million in contracts going out to the regions, so that can only be a good thing. 

 Members interjecting:  

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Elder.