STATE FINANCES

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (14:33): My question is to the Treasurer. After an election fought on trust, how can the people of South Australia trust this government when it told the public prior to the March 2010 state election that its policy was that savings and revenue measures of only $750 million were required, but it now has a policy of savings and revenue measures of $2.5 billion?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Federal/State Relations, Minister for Defence Industries) (14:34): What a weak treasurer Iain Evans would make. He would be incapable of making a hard decision. We have delivered nine budgets as a government, we have reclaimed the AAA credit rating, and we have ensured that this state's finances are of the highest order.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The point of order is one of relevance. The question was about trustworthiness and the lack thereof.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: As I said, the revenue loss—it was not a magical number—caused by the global financial crisis, $1.4 billion.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Madam Speaker, can I have some help over here, please?

The SPEAKER: Order! Treasurer, I do not think you need protection.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I am trying to listen to the Treasurer; he is asking me a question. I am not sure that he needs a lot of protection.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The net loss, after taking into account improved revenue flows, is a net loss of $1.4 billion. That is not a made-up number; that is fact. In fact, the commonwealth government, to put this into context—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Will you just listen—has lost $50 billion. The reality is that governments, when it comes to budgeting, must always be able to revise and to deal with the circumstances they are presented with. Members opposite can laugh, but you know what, Madam Speaker, if the Liberal Party had had the courage of a Jeff Kennett when they came to office in 1993, done the hard work, the starting point for this government would have been much stronger, because I laughed with—

The Hon. I.F. Evans: You're going back 17 years!

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is answering the question, not the member for Davenport.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: He interjected.

Mr WILLIAMS: No, the Speaker said that you were answering the question and I want to remind the Speaker that, in fact, you were not answering the question. The question was: why before the election was a Sustainable Budget Commission seeking a $750 million cut or turnaround and now it is $2.5 million? It is about trust.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is answering the question as he sees fit.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The would-be leader says, 'Don't go back 17 years.' What have they all been banging on about for the last two weeks—the State Bank. That was actually about 20 years ago. Get your story consistent, shadow treasurer.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer will answer the question.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I will let the opposition be the defenders of working conditions that are way out of step with the private sector. I will let members opposite support tenure. I will let members opposite enable our public servants to have the best long service leave by a country mile in all Australia, because you are a soft lot. You are incapable of making the hard decisions the government requires. We have maintained our AAA credit rating. We have delivered good budget outcomes. I have never walked away from a hard budget, because we have had to control the budget outlays of this state year in, year out—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: So, you wouldn't have spent the extra—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The member for Norwood would not have expended the extra $200 million in health, is that what you are saying?

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The member for Norwood says they would not fund the overrun in health. I can say today, since the budget has come out, opposition shadow spokespeople have been on the airwaves critical of this government and wanting this government to overturn $400 million plus of recurrent saving per year, each and every year, but not once have they come out and put up an alternative.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: You are a soft lot and God help us if you ever got into government with your weak approach to budget management. This government stands proud because we were able to do something you could not do—and that is to get the AAA credit rating back. We got the triple AAA—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Sorry? You are going back 15 years now, are you? You are going back 15 years, right. He can go back 15 years when it suits his argument but if I attempt to put some historical perspective—I saw Stephen Baker on the TV having a crack at me. My good colleague over there I did frame as the weakest shadow treasurer I had confronted, but Stephen Baker would have to be the most lacklustre, weakest treasurer this state has ever seen, because had he had the courage—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: You can laugh about it—with then premier Dean Brown to tackle what was the horrendous financial position we were in, then successive governments—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I have never denied it. What it showed was that you were incapable of dealing with it then and you are incapable of dealing with it now. You are a bunch of populists who could not make a hard decision if your life depended on it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!