Grievance Debate

Labor Government

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:13): It is the first day of summer and the last day of parliament that we are going to be sitting this year. There may be some surprises coming for the member for Croydon because our corridors are now alive with the rumour that today, when we are planning to pack up our books and leave the chamber for the year, his seat is going to be the receptacle for the new premier.

Today may go down in history as the last day that the Premier reigns in this state as the Premier of South Australia. Last night, the lights went out for 200,000 South Australians—disgraceful as that was—and if these rumours which are tumbling around our corridors, and being fanned by all those on this side of the house of parliament, have anything on them—

The Hon. J.M. Rankine interjecting:

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

Ms CHAPMAN: —it is easy to assume, of course—

The Hon. J.M. Rankine interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is warned.

Ms CHAPMAN: —that he might be here on his last day. But who will replace him? It is of course up to the SDA to make a decision about—

The Hon. J.M. Rankine interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is warned for the second and final time.

Ms CHAPMAN: —who runs the Labor Party. That is usually the position: they usually make that decision about who is going to be in charge. The hottest speculation at the moment is not you, Mr Speaker. In fact, you are supposed to be gotten rid of so that you can make space for the person. That may be, but who would be the most logical? Of course, the former head of the SDA, who is now in the Legislative Council. He, of course, unsurprisingly—

The SPEAKER: I interrupt the deputy leader. I think there may have been a misunderstanding in the dialogue earlier between the member for Morialta and I. The Speaker issues the writ, the Governor does not issue the writ.

Ms CHAPMAN: Thank you. He might have to get writing, let me say, because the Hon. Peter Malinauskas, as the former head of the SDA, is in position, ready to zip down to the lower house and take that position. You are the hot tip, Mr Speaker, to be moved out of the electorate of Croydon.

I, for one, will be mercifully unhappy about the loss to the chamber after 27 years of good contribution to the parliament when you will be executed for the purposes of making way for the young guns. What does it say about the utter contempt that the SDA union and the Labor Party have for our democratic process when this is the way they treat the position of the Premier in this state? They have form with the one who is there.

Maybe it is not such a surprise, given that the mentor for Mr Malinauskas and the godfather of the Labor right, Don Farrell, formerly in my electorate, built a career on this type of behaviour. Do not forget it was he who orchestrated the execution of Kevin Rudd as prime minister in 2010, and let us also not forget that he owes the Premier one big time.

The SPEAKER: Isn't Senator Farrell still in your electorate?

Ms CHAPMAN: Unfortunately not. He has moved, but not to yours. Let me tell you who has. It is tempting to feel some sympathy for the imminent knifing of the Premier; however, he knows full well that what the SDA giveth, the SDA taketh away.

My best guess is that, knowing the writing is on the wall, the Premier, of course, will tell us that he has decided to resign as Premier, rather than go through the public humiliation of being tossed out in a bitter caucus battle. No doubt Mr Farrell will relish orchestrating the latter. He has moved into the member for Croydon's electorate, just in case he had not noticed.

Thankfully, the total and utter abuse of the democratic will of South Australians will be short-lived. The Kristina Keneally-esque premiership of Mr Malinauskas will feather his nest for but a short time. The March 2018 election will show Labor just what the people think of the union takeover of the South Australian government. The Labor leadership may change, but the policies and performances will not. Those who created this mess cannot be trusted to clean it up and we will be sorry to see the day, member for Croydon, when you are executed in their path.