State Major Bank Levy

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): Supplementary: I would ask the Treasurer to tell us how many of the 145,000 small businesses in South Australia he consulted with before he introduced the state bank levy.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:23): It didn't impact any of them—none. I have to say that our policies are here, in the parliament today, being debated. Our plans are here, being debated in open sight of the public. Where are the opposition's? Hidden in dark rooms where no-one will see them. They won't come to light. They will be announced the day before the poll, if they announce them at all.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: I don't accept the point of order from someone who a second ago was hollering across the chamber. I shall choose the innocent blood in front of me.

Mr MARSHALL: Thank you very much, sir. I ask that you bring the minister back to the substance of the question: how many—

The SPEAKER: Yes. Minister.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I answered it immediately: none. But what we've done is—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I will decide when I have finished, not you.

The Hon. P. Caica: Sit down, glass jaw.

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

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The major bank levy is there to fund our $200 million jobs fund. We want to go out and support South Australian businesses. There are two revenue measures in this budget: a foreign surcharge on people who aren't Australian citizens or permanent residents buying residential property and the major bank levy. Both those two taxes have something in common: they are levies that no South Australian will pay—not one—yet the bankers have found a friend in the opposition. We are introducing the same legislation and the same protective measures as the commonwealth.

Mr MARSHALL: Point of order, sir: debate.

The SPEAKER: No, I don't uphold—

Mr Gardner: 'The Bankers' Association has found a friend,' that's not debate?

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned. This is well within the kind of argy-bargy that one would expect in response to a highly rhetorical question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The commonwealth government have introduced the same levy with the same protections we have and the banks haven't passed that on, but members opposite have bought hook, line and sinker, after one meeting with one bank, their line. It can't be summarised better than the Premier's remarks earlier. Despite closing branch after branch after branch, the banks have finally reopened one: the Liberal Party. They've got a new branch in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer will be seated. He has now fulfilled the leader's prophecies and has debated.