STATE BUDGET

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:41): My question is to the Premier. Why should the public trust that the government will achieve a $661 million surplus in four years' time—the largest surplus in 19 years of budget records—given that the government is currently running a $1.3 billion deficit, the largest in this state's 176-year history?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:41): Because we have made prudent decisions to make savings, constrain our own expenditure and show a pathway of reductions in deficits, small surpluses and then growing surplus in the fourth year that you mentioned. Also, if you want further evidence of the way in which this government goes about its work, you can look at the periods between 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 where surpluses were achieved, where government debt was paid down such that there was no government debt, and that is the sensible thing to do. When times are good, you make savings, you pay down debts, you prepare yourself for circumstances when you need to make investments.

We then made our public investments because there needed to be investments in public infrastructure because, frankly, there had not been sufficient investment in public infrastructure so we began to make those investments. The global financial crisis hit, which devastated revenues, and we made a choice to maintain our investments in those productive capital investments to ensure that jobs were sustained during a period of uncertainty. Perhaps if those opposite spent a little more time focused on the positive future of our state rather than actually talking South Australia down, a little less time practising in front of the mirror and a little more time focusing on the issues that face South Australia, then we would hear something—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: And forced laughter to cover up the complete lack of ideas.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Unley to order.