Grievance Debate

Labor Government

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:06): Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk to the house about how this is a bad Labor government that has completely lost its moral compass. One thing we have discovered in the last couple of days is that some of the people on the other side of the chamber actually have noticed. They know it. They know that they have failed the veterans of South Australia when, upon receipt of a petition of 130,000 South Australians urging the government not to close the Repatriation General Hospital, the government has ignored them. They have failed the veterans.

Some of the people on the Labor Party backbench have noticed that they have failed the police officers of South Australia who, in their thousands, walked on this parliament yesterday, yet the only Labor Party MPs who could be seen were those skulking around the sides of the protest taking photographs or sending SMSs to their colleagues about what was going on. Thousands of South Australian police officers were left high and dry by this government, as they again continue to fail the people of South Australia. The Deputy Premier's response to those officers and families was so arrogant, so dismissive and so callous that his colleagues are taking notice and deserting him in their droves. They are leaking to the media and are clearly unimpressed.

We know that this is a government that has failed the householders of South Australia over the last two years through skyrocketing emergency services levy bills that have had absolute disregard for the cost of living pressures on the people of South Australia. Yesterday, it became even clearer that members of the Labor team believe that they have failed working South Australians as well by the judgements that they set for themselves. I particularly note the comments of the member for Ashford on the annual report of the occupational health and safety parliamentary standing committee when she said:

The committee is also concerned about the level of whole-person impairment. In evidence, Mr McCarthy said that there were many people with what was considered to be a 30 per cent whole-person impairment that are able to work and do so, but he has not actually substantiated this claim. We are still waiting to hear about the examples that he mentioned.

The member for Ashford went on to express her concerns on behalf of the committee, a committee represented by Labor members, in a way that it became clear that she would only do if she was unsatisfied with the direction taken by this bad Labor government that has lost its moral compass.

This proud Labor Party was so proud of its achievements for working families in South Australia over many years. That they have now lost their way is of such disappointment to their members. They have failed veterans, they have failed the police, they have failed householders and they have failed working South Australians. There is nearly nobody in South Australia who this government has not failed. I say 'nearly nobody'. There is somebody that they are looking after. There is somebody we know they are going to find a juicy seat for. One Peter Malinauskas of the shoppies union is one person who has not been failed by this Labor government. He is the only person, it would seem, that this Labor government has any interest in looking after.

For 4½ years we heard silence from the government on the seat in the Legislative Council occupied by one Bernard Finnigan. For 4½ years it was entirely appropriate. According to the government, they had no view that he had brought the parliament into disrepute. There was no suggestion from the government that they were going to use the provisions allowed in the constitution to expel Mr Finnigan from parliament. Only now that the opportunity has arisen through Mr Malinauskas's imminent arrival in the Legislative Council do we see him expelled.

Members interjecting:

Mr GARDNER: The member for Davenport identifies $1.3 million worth of donations from the shoppies union under Mr Malinauskas's stewardship to Labor's political campaigns, extracted from some of the lowest paid workers in South Australia. They are not looking after workers; they are looking after Mr Malinauskas and their union heavies.

Why is it so important for this Premier? We know there is a favour to repay, to start with. We know that it was the Minister for Health and Mr Malinauskas who visited the former premier to deliver the knife that was going to be dealt. So, a good turn done by one must therefore be repaid by another, not to the people of South Australia, but for Mr Malinauskas it appears. I have had drawn to my attention today an article by Tom Richardson—'Labor power plays as Jay keeps faction in check'—with I think a delightful photo of the Speaker of the house, a whimsical photo of the Speaker, awaiting his imminent execution, as it would appear from the article that he is to be delivered the seat of Croydon at the next election.

Not content with finding a seat in parliament for Mr Malinauskas, it now appears that, perhaps due to the recent troubles of the Treasurer to do with Gillman, perhaps because the member for Enfield has lost the support of the caucus completely, or perhaps because the member for Port Adelaide has no support in the right whatsoever, the member for Cheltenham (the Premier) has decided it is time for the member for Croydon to go and deliver that seat to Mr Malinauskas. I just want the Speaker to know: I stand with the Speaker in the Labor preselection for Croydon. We are just awaiting his call.