Health Budget

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:14): A supplementary: can the Treasurer assure the house that the loss of 800 acute beds over and above next year's budget will not involve the loss of front-line staff in South Australia?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:14): We will honour our enterprise agreements with the relevant front-line staff. There are ratios in place. They will be honoured and they will be met. There are no budget saving measures to take away, from what I can tell, front-line staff, but the Deputy Premier is outlining to the house a process of the health minister attempting to make a more efficient health system.

If members opposite are advocating a larger spend on health, they should detail to the house how they would pay for it and what they would cut to substitute that funding. Instead, we are in this position where they want us to bring forward tax cuts—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is called to order.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: And it is?

Mr PISONI: The minister is obviously entering debate.

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We are in the position where the government is being confronted with questions by the opposition. They are asking us to increase health spending, bring forward tax cuts, balance the budget, reopen hospitals. They don't want to privatise the Motor Accident Commission. They want to spend more, balance the budget and cut taxes.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, sir.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Even the Greens are more responsible than the Liberal Party.

Mr PISONI: The minister is not responsible for any alleged comments made by the opposition.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the member for Unley's point of order. Leader.