Question Time

STATE ECONOMY

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:14): My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier explain why, after one year as Premier, he has budgeted for the largest debt and the largest deficit in the state's history and our once-coveted AAA credit rating has been downgraded three times to AA, the worst credit rating of all states?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:14): I don't accept the premise of the question that the honourable member says, but what I can say—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Premier, can you sit down until we have some quiet? Order! Members on my left have time to ask questions. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: What I can say is that South Australians should have every reason to be confident in the strength and resilience of the South Australian economy. They should also have confidence in a government which has made a conscious decision to invest in infrastructure projects and to invest in the services that are necessary to meet the needs of the people of South Australia, and that we've made those conscious choices knowing that it would put at risk our AAA credit rating. And it stands in stark contrast to the choices that have been made by Campbell Newman in Queensland who, in his mindless pursuit of that financial metric of a AAA credit rating, is slashing and burning the services and wellbeing and livelihoods of thousands and thousands of citizens in Queensland.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: When we sought to remind the South Australian community of the public policy choice we made and contrast it with the choice that those made opposite, and produced a pamphlet to tell the world about that, the Liberal Party of South Australia went to the Electoral Commission and said that that was misleading and inaccurate. Well, yesterday, we know that the Electoral Commission has upheld that document has not been misleading or inaccurate. So what stands is the fact that 25,000 jobs will be ripped out of the South Australian economy by those opposite should they ever be in the position of occupying the government benches.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, standing order 98 obliges the minister to answer the substance of the question and it also obliges the minister not to debate the answer.

The SPEAKER: The Premier's response relates to the substance of the question and I have no problem with it, and it was a very inflammatory question so, of course, he is going to respond.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The gravamen of the question was whether we'd actually invested, and the process of taking on borrowings to do that, and thereby jeopardised our AAA credit rating.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The essence of my response is that we made a choice. We made a choice about the long-term prosperity of this state that requires us to invest in infrastructure, and I must say there are many business people out there saying, 'Thank God this government took the investment decisions that it took—'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That we took the investment decisions that we did because it is the only—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —it is one of the significant contributors to sustaining activity within the South Australian economy.

Mr Williams: Name one of them!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I can name one of them. When I was out at the business forum recently in Hartley with the member for Hartley, what was said very strongly to me by those in the building and construction sector is that the only level of activity that's actually going on is that that's being proposed by the South Australian government in its infrastructure spend.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Just look around—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker!

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my left will have some order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, all one needs to do is to look around the South Australian skyline and see the cranes that are there courtesy of the investment decisions that have been made by this government.