Goods and Services Tax

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (15:29): Thank you very much, sir. Can the Premier inform the house what state taxes he plans to increase now that the increase in the GST which he has proposed is off the table?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (15:29): Well, I do not accept the premise of the question, and we will not be taking the advice of the Prime Minister to increase state taxes. As kindly as that advice was tendered in the very charming tones in which the Prime Minister intoned them, we will not be accepting that advice. We will be making the responsibility for the health and education cuts the responsibility of those who applied the cuts, namely, the federal government.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, interestingly, I noticed that the Leader of the Opposition, when he was asked about these health and education cuts in the Hockey budget, said on 2 February last year, 'We didn't support their cuts to health and education.' So, he was with us opposing the cuts, apparently. And this year on 8 February when asked about the cuts he said, 'The money that's coming from the federal government is increasing each and every year, so I'm not quite sure why Jay Weatherill is allowed to get away with this line in the media that there is $80 billion dollars in cuts.'

This is the difficulty, Mr Speaker. On this side of the house we are standing up for South Australia against these federal cuts, and we are advancing constructive ideas on the national agenda to solve them, and those opposite simply slip and slide depending on where the political opportunity presents itself. They were with Nick Xenophon the other day saying that some of these ideas were lazy. They were, up until a few moments ago—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, Mr Speaker: standing order 98.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I would be inclined to uphold that, but before the Premier did engage in debate, I warn the deputy leader for the first and the second time, the member for Morphett is warned, the leader is warned and the member for Hartley is warned. Premier. Leader.