Emergency Services Levy

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:29): Supplementary: will the Treasurer rule out any increase in the ESL to cover the Pinery bushfires in next year's budget?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:29): This government never rules anything in or out—it never has. In fact, I don't rule out—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —a decrease in the ESL. I can't guarantee—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —it, no more than the Leader of the Opposition can guarantee he'll be in the job come Christmas! No more than he can guarantee he'll be in the job come Christmas! Because he's got his loyal deputy, and he's got the tallest man in the world—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —with the highest personal vote in the state. The highest personal vote in the state! You don't just get that by being a pretty face! Not just a pretty face. There's a bit of substance there too.

Mr GARDNER: I'm happy to bet all of the money in my wallet against all of the money in the Treasurer's that he is debating.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: In the words of Captain Louis, why would we close it down since everyone is having such a good time?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Is the Treasurer finished?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No, sir. I have another three minutes; I have another three minutes of this.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The opposition leader obviously fundamentally misunderstands his own party, so perhaps he should speak—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —to the architects of this tax. The architects of this tax are his shadow treasurer, the Hon. Rob Lucas, in another place—the man who sat in the cabinet room when this tax was devised, and the party president at the time of this tax being devised, the current deputy leader, who is on to bigger and better things very, very soon, I understand .Perhaps it's time to leave; perhaps it's time. But that's not a matter for me because, I have to say it, Mr Speaker, the only thing better than beating Steven Marshall once is beating him twice, but, unfortunately, we might not get the chance. All I can say is that the architects of the tax should go to their caucus room and speak to the architects of this tax to understand how it's implemented.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: If the opposition wants me to uphold a standing order 98 point, then they should come to the point of order with clean hands by being silent but, instead, they roar at the Treasurer and egg him on.

Mr Goldsworthy: He's auditioning.

The SPEAKER: He may be auditioning; he may be.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: However, before the Treasurer's provocation gave all opposition members benefit of clergy, as far as I'm concerned, to interject, there were offences and I call to order the members for Mount Gambier, Mitchell, Hammond and Wright. I warn the member for Mount Gambier and I warn the Treasurer for using the member for Dunstan's Christian and surname.

Ms Chapman: And calling you ugly.

The SPEAKER: Really?

Ms Chapman: That you didn't have a pretty face, remember?

The SPEAKER: No.

Mr Marshall: And he was wrong, sir.

The SPEAKER: If it's on Hansard, I will do something about that. The leader.