CAR PARKING LEVY

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:51): My question is again to the Premier. Why has the government ignored the recommendation from the Sustainable Budget Commission report in relation to the car park tax that said, 'consideration could be given to exempting spaces allocated for short-term parking...in order to reduce the impact on CBD businesses'?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:51): I think that is actually what we have done. We have exempted primary customer and client car parking provided on business premises. I think that is precisely what we have done, and the way in which particular businesses seek to reorganise their particular offering to the community when they begin to charge will be a matter for them.

This is something that the Adelaide City Council will have some influence over, because it has a substantial number of car parks, so the way in which it organises its charging, which will still be a matter for individual car parks, will no doubt respond to the particular segment of the market it is seeking to capture.

I think all those things will be the subject of robust competition within the car parking area, bearing in mind that we have more car parks in absolute numbers than any other capital city, even places like Sydney, so we are talking about an extraordinary number of car parks. I think we have to get over the fact that just coming into town and then pulling up in front of Harris Scarfe's and having a shop is a thing of the past.

Mr Pengilly: You can't pull up in front of Harris Scarfe's.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Of course. Precisely—but I think this idea that somehow you can just drive into the city and actually expect to be able to pull up and find a park is a nice old country town idea, but we have a vision for the city which is more than just a country town. It is a vibrant, modern, cosmopolitan city that needs a good public transport system and a set of congestion arrangements that are in keeping with a major capital city.

The SPEAKER: The member for Finniss is right that you can't pull up in front of Harris Scarfe's. He is also out of order and I bring him to order and I warn the—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: You knew you were going to be warned, did you?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: He's been doing it all day, sir.

The SPEAKER: I warn the Minister for Transport for the first time and, as the Minister for Health says, he's been doing it all day. The member for Taylor.