Leon Bignell wants office stalemate with SA Government 'reported to the United Nations'
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Two Labor MPs are still waiting to get offices within their electorates more than a year after the state election, with one labelling the delay as a "clamp down on democracy".
Key points:
- A redistribution in 2017 put some MP's offices outside of their electorates
- One minister says the State Government has denied him an office within his electorate
- The Treasurer says the Government is working to secure office spaces for both MPs
Southern suburbs MP Leon Bignell said putting aside international conflicts, the United Nations should be notified of the State Government for "quelling democracy".
The Mawson MP has continued to work from his office in Hackham since the March 2018 election, when Labor was dumped from power.
A major redistribution of boundaries in 2017 put Mr Bignell's office about 3 kilometres north of his electorate and about 18km by road from the main population centre of Aldinga Beach.
"There is no excuse for us not being in there, other than [Premier] Steven Marshall and his Government is undemocratic and they should actually be reported to the United Nations for quelling democracy," Mr Bignell told the ABC.
"This is the sort of action of a dictator, a despot government, that is trying to clamp down on democracy.
"This is just a basic right of people who live in a democracy."
Mr Bignell said an empty shopfront at Aldinga Beach — the location of his campaign office last year — would be a suitable place.
"If he thinks it's some way of winning the next election by keeping me away from the people who elected me, well it's going to backfire brilliantly," Mr Bignell said.
![Empty office Leon Bignell would like to move to A vacant shop at a shopping centre](http://web.archive.org./web/20190601192843im_/https://www.abc.net.au/news/image/11160944-3x2-700x467.jpg)
MP resorts to using motorhome for office
Labor MP Blair Boyer has been forced to work from offices outside the boundary of the area he represents.
A third Labor member — Hurtle Vale MP Nat Cook — moved into an office inside her electorate last month.
There are no State Government MPs working from outside of their seats.
Mr Boyer, who represents north-eastern suburbs between Brahma Lodge and Redwood Park, has been using a donated motorhome to hold meetings in his electorate.
The office he was allocated was 20km from his electorate.
He said while a location for his new electorate office had been identified, he had not been given a timeline for when he could move in.
"I call very regularly, almost every week … I asked if anyone could guarantee me that I would be in the office before Christmas, and they could not," he said.
"I've spoken to a lot of past MPs … they have told me that they are not aware of anything like this having ever occurred in any jurisdiction in Australia before.
"I honestly believe that [Treasurer Rob Lucas's] idea was to move me as far away from the two new Liberal Members of Parliament in the north-east as he could, to try to give them the run of that area."
The previous Wright electorate office — now in the electorate of King — was refitted to be used by Liberal King MP Paula Luethen.
Treasurer says Labor to blame for delays
Mr Lucas said Mr Bignell should have an office in the Aldinga Central Shopping Centre "around October".
He blamed the former Labor government and its former treasurer Tom Koutsantonis for the situation Mr Boyer was in.
"The Government shares the frustration of Mr Boyer at these delays, but Mr Boyer should direct his venom at the incompetence of his Labor colleague Mr Koutsantonis," Mr Lucas said.
"All of these problems have been caused by Mr Koutsantonis's refusal two years ago to accept Treasury advice and get off his backside and start planning for a new office in Wright."
Mr Lucas said he had approved $150,000 to fit out Mr Bignell's office, and the Government was waiting on the landlord to provide facilities including a disabled access toilet and air-conditioning.
"As soon as that work is completed we will quickly undertake the office fit-out for Mr Boyer," Mr Lucas said.
A new redistribution of state seat boundaries is due to start by early next year.
Topics: state-parliament, parliament, states-and-territories, alp, sa, adelaide-5000, kingscote-5223, brahma-lodge-5109, aldinga-beach-5173