House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Construction Industry CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Mr BIGNELL House of Assembly Mawson CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:51): Can the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure update the house on the role of consumer confidence in the housing construction market? The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly Elder Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Minister for Housing and Urban Development CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:51): I thank the member for Mawson for this important question. The construction industry in South Australia is of course a very important industry. It employs something like 60,000 people and adds as much as $6 billion to the gross state product. I point out that what we do see in the city of Adelaide is a very strong construction industry. There are cranes surrounding this part of the city, but I do point out that that is a result of a very substantial investment by this government over the last 10 years in infrastructure. I would not like to think about the state of that industry without it, and that is something— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: —apparently, according to the other side, we should not have been doing, of course, but we have, and we— Members interjecting: The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Well, I just heard your interjections. Australia and South Australia have some very robust economic figures. Our unemployment— Members interjecting: The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Our unemployment rate remains historically low; certainly lower than any number we ever saw under the previous Liberal government. The level— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The level— Mr Pisoni interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Unley, order! The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: We are now getting advice from that great creator of jobs, the member for Unley. The— Members interjecting: The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Madam, this is an important subject. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Minister. The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: In addition to that strong employment rate, we have the highest level of personal savings a nation has ever seen. This is a good thing. This means— Mr Pederick House of Assembly Mr Pederick: That's because no-one's game to spend! The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: This means that we have people in jobs and people with a capacity to invest, and we also have, by historical levels, very low interest rates. It is therefore very concerning that we see around Australia a lack of confidence in making those investments, particularly in the residential sector. It is a prime— Mrs Redmond House of Assembly Mrs Redmond: It's worse here any anywhere else. The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: 'It's worse here than anywhere else.' Goodness me; think of something witty to say just once before you go—just one time before you go. Mrs Redmond interjecting: The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: When you're finished, Leader of the Opposition—and I think that will be quite soon. We have low interest rates, but we do not have the people having the confidence and making investments in the residential sector. It is the reason that we have a round table with the construction industry this afternoon. It is the reason— Mr Whetstone House of Assembly Mr Whetstone: Are you going to say sorry? The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Chaffey will leave the chamber for 17 minutes, until the end of question time. The honourable member for Chaffey having withdrawn from the chamber: The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Well, he was halfway there. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: If I might continue with this very important question, because the people coming this afternoon who have all accepted are very interested in this subject matter. They are all going to be here and they are all taking this matter a lot more seriously than the opposition does. This engine room for employment and revenue in this state is faltering through a lack of confidence. All of the economic fundamentals are there. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Will members stop shouting at each other across the chamber? Minister. The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It is the reason that we gave stamp duty relief in the CBD and the contiguous suburbs, to kickstart some activity in that area. One of the problems we obviously have in this state, and nationally, is a bunch of wreckers in the opposition who— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! An honourable member House of Assembly An honourable member: I know—it's Tony Abbott! The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: And Tony Abbott, isn't he going well? Let me tell you about the Tony Abbott I know—the one who runs around the community talking about wrecking balls through the economy. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Mr WILLIAMS House of Assembly Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker. I am waiting to hear the answer to this very important question, Patrick. Get on with it. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! An honourable member interjecting: The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The Isobel Redmond I used to know. An honourable member interjecting: The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Mike Rann—the premier for a decade. Of course, you were a minister for that fantastic flash of time—91 days? No, he hung around longer. He started marine parks. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P.F. CONLON House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. CONLON: We are holding a round table on the construction industry this afternoon to share with them what initiatives we can take and to hear from them their ideas. Can I say, if the opposition will not take it seriously, they will, but I point out that, at a time when we are trying to instil confidence during robust economic circumstances, to tell everyone in the Public Service that they might be the one in four who loses their job in a Liberal administration, that they might be the one in four full-time equivalent or the one in four who loses their job, it is hardly conducive to them taking those savings from the bank and investing them in a house. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, your time has expired.