Emergency Services Levy

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:18): My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier update the house on the government's plan to reduce the emergency services levy and how this will ease cost-of-living pressures for families living in my electorate?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:18): It's a great pleasure for me to address this question, a real question, not 'doughnutgate' or 'golfgate', like those opposite. You can tell a lot, sir, about the tenor of the questions from the opposition. I know that because I was in that position for a very long period of time, too long according to the people of South Australia. The questions that you ask in parliament really give an indication of the level of interest on that side of the house. They are not concerned about jobs—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —or the cost of living—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Playford!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —or creating a future for the next people of South Australia, but these ticky touch-wood issues about who brought the doughnuts. The reality is that while those opposite—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —wish to major in the minors—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —we will be concentrating on the big issues.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, the Premier is debating and making personal reflections on members.

The SPEAKER: I am sure that the Premier will bring it back to the substance of the question. Premier.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier will bring it back to the substance of the question.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you, sir. It was an important question from the excellent member for Newland who is focused on the big issues for his electorate, and one of the big issues for him, after 16 long years of incompetent government in South Australia, was the rising cost of living pressures on households and businesses in the electorate of Newland, just like every single electorate across South Australia.

Well, unlike those opposite, we are doing things immediately to provide some relief for households, relief for small business. The first of these that the member for Newland quite rightly points out is the area of the emergency services levy. As you would be all too well aware, sir, just a few weeks after you came into this chamber those opposite, who were then in government, decided to massively increase—in fact, double—the emergency services levy on every single household and every single business in South Australia, and they did that without warning.

Well, we are going to reverse that. In fact, I am very proud to lead a government that will pass through a $360 million relief package in terms of the emergency services levy in this state. We are going to do this as quickly as possible, and the first tranche will start on 1 July. So the good news for the people of South Australia is that we are only a few weeks away now from relief from the very high cost of living presided over by those opposite.

Can I say that, whilst we are on this side of the chamber, we will do everything to grow our economy, to create jobs, to keep our young people in South Australia, and part of that, of course, is lowering the costs of living and that is exactly and precisely what we will do.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee.