Charlotte Varcoe
MINISTER for Primary Industries Clare Scriven has hit back at questions posed to her in Parliament regarding an online petition advocating for future funding to transform the Mount Gambier and Districts Saleyards.
Recently the Mount Gambier Combined Agents launched the online petition in an attempt to rally support for future funding after being unsuccessful in the recent Growing Regions Fund.
The petition was launched by Member for Barker Tony Pasin and Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Development Ben Hood.
Mr Hood questioned where the $2.7m funding allocation was in the recent state budget for the transformation project.
Ms Scriven had previously stated the state government was waiting for the District Council of Grant to reassess the project.
During her response in Parliament, Ms Scriven hit back at Mr Pasin claiming he “had totally failed” to convince his colleagues in the former Liberal Federal Government to “make any kind of commitment” for the project.
“Tony Pasin did fail…Tony Pasin is very good at some things; he is good at creating noise, he is good at posing in front of angry groups, but he is not good at actually advocating effectively,” Ms Scriven said.
Ms Scriven claimed she was not invited to the petition launch held at the saleyards recently and were she invited she would have been there.
Speaking with SA Today Ms Scriven said she was surprised the petition was authorised by Mr Pasin and the Liberal Party.
“It really does raise the question of whether this is a sincere and bipartisan attempt to get funding for saleyards or whether he is intending to simply use that data for data-mining for political purposes,” Ms Scriven said.
“I would be happy to have attended the saleyards but I did not receive an invitation.”
She said she believed it was good the community was advocating for something which would benefit the region.
“My question is whether the petition is designed to do that or whether it is going to be used for political purposes,” Ms Scriven said.
“We made a commitment while we were in opposition and it was only after that and it is something the state government has been happy to support and will continue to do so.”
She said signing the petition herself would be a matter of whether it was a “sincere and balanced” petition without having seen the wording for herself as of yet.
Mr Pasin said he remained standing “shoulder to shoulder” with local farmers and stock agents during the campaign.
“Clare should direct her criticism to Federal Labor Minister Catherin King, who refused the application and, on the topic of delivery, I am happy to put my record of delivering for the people of Mount Gambier and the Limestone Coast against Minister Scriven’s anyday,” Mr Pasin said.
“On the question of being invited to the launch of the petition, I did not organise the event, I just joined it at the invitation of the Combined Agents who I understand attempted to contact Minister Scriven – at my office’s suggestion – but were unable to get through to the minister.”
