Question Time

Goods and Services Tax

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (15:00): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier stand by his comment that 'we haven't seen any coherent or sustainable way' that federal Labor's promise to reinstate Gonski will be funded without increasing the GST?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (15:00): Well, I didn't say any such thing.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: In fact, my—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

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

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: My remarks were directed at both health and education funding, and it's the same thing, as I have been saying consistently for many months now. It's at the heart of the proposition that we have been advancing on the national reform agenda. I suppose the thing that I have been asking the citizens of South Australia to do is, when they have a problem, rather than just participate in the debate as a group of self-interested individuals, we ask them to be citizens, so not only come up with a problem but also come up with a solution.

I have applied the same discipline to the way in which I have engaged in the national debate. If there is a challenge, and there is—an $80 billion cut to health and education—rather than actually go to the national debate and complain, merely complain, about the health and education cut, we also go with a solution which is a revenue measure to meet those issues. There is no doubt that federal Labor has now made a commitment to fund years five and six of Gonski, which has—

Mr Marshall: Not in a coherent or sustainable way.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: They have come up with a plan to fund that, and I think it is a coherent plan. What we haven't yet seen from both major parties—either the Labor Party or the Liberal Party—is a plan to meet the $80 billion worth of cuts which are spread over 10 years.

We have already rehearsed this issue about whether or not the cuts are actually true or otherwise. The opposition leader has had two positions on this. He said last February that he didn't support the cuts and, just recently, he suggested that we can't advance this argument that there have been cuts.

But if you want an independent observer who has actually evaluated this, when the Auditor-General looked at our campaign on Federal Cuts Hurt, he made these findings. He said, 'We confirmed that the total value of the cuts to health [are] $655 million…' He confirmed the total value of cuts to pensioner concessions are $123 million. He confirmed the funding cuts of $335 million in education over six years. It is true that we are advancing ideas at a national level to fund both of these—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Are you going to answer the question or do you want me to?

Mr Marshall: Why don't you answer the question?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, why don't you give me a few moments of clear air while I do so? What do you want? Do you want to supply the answer or do you want to ask the questions?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Mr Speaker, when I called for a mature debate I wanted it to be a debate which is elevated above the name calling, the abuse, the threats, the sorts of things which have emerged in the national debate and which exist here in this contribution. We need better than that from our nation's politicians, and I think this question just demonstrates the paucity of the public debate on the question.

The SPEAKER: Before the leader asks a supplementary, I warn the deputy leader a first and second time. I call to order the member for Morialta and warn him. I warn the leader a second time. I call to order the member for Hartley and warn him. Also, the members for Schubert and Davenport are on warnings, and I call to order the ministers for investment and trade and transport and the member for Mitchell. Leader.