Emergency Services Levy

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): My question is to the Treasurer. Now that the government has received significant extra funding from the federal government, will the government commit to reversing its massive hike in the emergency services levy?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:17): If only we could. If only the extra revenue in GST actually touched the sides of the cuts made by the commonwealth. It is important to point out to the members opposite, who seem to want to ignore the cuts made by Canberra, that in 2015-16 alone the cuts by the commonwealth to South Australia are $160 million. The uplift in GST is $130 million. This myth, this hypocrisy, that the Leader of the Opposition is peddling to the public that somehow this extra money in GST is filling the gap of the hole created by the commonwealth is simply not true. In 2016-17 that cut increases to $224 million. In 2017-18—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I am comparing the cuts made by the commonwealth. These are in the commonwealth government's own budget papers. Perhaps the Leader of the Opposition can listen rather than rudely interrupting constantly because he is having a bad week, in a bad year, in a bad term, in a job he is out of his depth in.

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer will not debate the answer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, sir. The cuts increase to $224 million in 2016-17. In 2017-18 the cuts from the commonwealth increase to $400 million. In 2018-19 they increase to $599 million. That is a total of $1.4 billion worth of cuts from the commonwealth. The Leader of the Opposition is using his own calculations. That extra GST revenue will not touch the sides of these cuts. The benefit of the GST for the states was that we got additional revenue we could spend on things like tax cuts, improving productivity in our economy, upgrading road infrastructure and increasing concessions.

We are being forced more and more, as activity funding from the commonwealth decreases every year and those cuts get bigger and bigger and bigger, to pour that GST money that used to be unencumbered to pay for health and education and essential services. So, while the commonwealth give a little with one hand they take a lot more with the other, and that's the one truth that the opposition fail to recognise because they don't want to recognise it. They want to bury their heads in the sand.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Mr GARDNER: Well, that was clearly debate, but he's finished.

The SPEAKER: So the point of order is withdrawn. I would have upheld it.

Mr MARSHALL: Supplementary, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Before the supplementary, I call to order the member for Kavel and the member for Stuart, and I warn him for the first time. I warn for the second and final time the member for Adelaide. I also warn for the first time the member for Unley and the deputy leader and, for the second and final time, the member—and I will say it slowly so he can catch up—for Morialta. Leader.