Emergency Services Levy

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (14:42): Supplementary question to the Treasurer. A constituent has brought me their emergency services levy bill, which demonstrates that liability on their farming property has risen from $574 last year to $3,950 this year. Would the Treasurer confirm that this is an increase of 588 per cent?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:43): Which area is it? Flinders, is that regional area 2? I would imagine then that the value of their property is well above $10 million, but I will check that.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, I understand it is a farm, but if the capital value of the property is more than $10 million then the increase is very large. For example—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned for the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Oh dear. The member for Unley, if his lips move again he will be leaving.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It is a tax designed to fund emergency services introduced by the Liberal Party, and the Liberal Party chose, at that time, to include primary production land and here they are today saying, 'How dare you tax primary production.' It's your tax; you introduced it. I find it stunning, Mr Speaker, like a dog returning to its vomit, the opposition are looking at this and saying, 'Who did this? It wasn't us.'

The SPEAKER: The minister the Treasurer will withdraw and apologise for the expression 'a dog returning to its vomit' because it suggests that every member of Her Majesty's opposition is a canine.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, I do not believe that they are canines. I apologise if I have caused any offence. I didn't mean that literally. I was just trying to—

The Hon. J.J. Snelling: A metaphor.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It was a metaphor.

The SPEAKER: I was hoping the minister didn't mean it figuratively either.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, sir. While, yes, there are increases to primary production properties in the ESL, I suppose members opposite should consider decisions taken by the Olsen government when they introduced this and applied this tax to primary production land. It could have been exempted, and they chose not to.

If they want the remissions reinstated, all they need do is call the Prime Minister, because I know that, during the campaign, the Leader of the Opposition, whether it was on submarines or on Holden, touted his special relationship with Tony Abbott. He could get more out of Tony Abbott than anyone else because of his special relationship. Well, perhaps he could use that special relationship—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Oh, no!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —then ask the commonwealth government for a—

The SPEAKER: What's it going to be? Debate?

Mr GARDNER: Let's say debate. I think we have strayed from the question: 'Is this an increase of 588 per cent?'

The SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold the point of order. Member for Goyder.