Labor’s Susan Close says ‘childish’ David Speirs giving her the silent treatment

The deputy Labor leader says SA’s water minister has been ignoring her for a year, but he says she’s asking questions Google can answer.

Environment and Water Minister David Speirs has been accused of being “childish” by Labor’s Susan Close.

Environment and Water Minister David Speirs has been accused of being “childish” after giving Deputy Opposition Leader Susan Close the silent treatment for over a year.

Dr Close has sent 10 letters to Mr Speirs since August last year and says all but one have been ignored, and the only response she has received missed the point.

Mr Speirs has hit back though, saying he responded to Dr Close’s first letter in August, about sand carting at Semaphore, and his correspondence addressed matters discussed in her subsequent missives.

He also said a quick Google search could have shed a light on other matters Dr Close sought information on.

Dr Close, who represents the Port Adelaide electorate, said the saga began after she backed her local constituents in their protest against proposed sanding carting from Semaphore Beach to West Beach.

Labor MP Susan Close says only one of her letters to the water minister have been answered – and that one missed the point.

The State Government eventually scrapped the plan, and instead decide to continue taking the majority of sand from Point Malcolm, south of Semaphore, where sand carting had occurred for years.

“Ever since David Speirs was forced to back down on putting a truck road through the dunes in Semaphore he has essentially refused to communicate with me,” Dr Close said.

“That makes it difficult to do my job representing the community but it actually makes it impossible for him to do his job because his job is to be the Environment and Water Minister for all South Australians, not just South Australians represented by people he likes.

“So if he’s ignoring me, he’s ignoring people of Port Adelaide.”

As well as the sand carting matter, Dr Close said her unrequited letters covered topics such as dolphin deaths in the Port River, a community wastewater management system, a grant program and concerns over the viability of Landcare groups.

“It’s beyond being discourteous ­– It’s childish, immature and hyper-partisan … in a way that is completely unnecessary,” she said.

“He needs to mature in the role and remember he is the Minister for all South Australians and resume correspondence with all MPs.”

Mr Speirs said the matter highlighted the Labor Party was “more interested in a cheap headline and playing petty politics than delivering real outcomes for the people of South Australia.”

“Information on the subject matters Susan Close has written about is readily available online and I have actually directly met with many of the stakeholders she is referring to,” he said.

“I note with interest since taking a ‘renewed focus’ on the environment and climate change since the Opposition’s shadow cabinet reshuffle two months ago, Susan Close has failed to ask me a single question during Question Time.”