Family Businesses

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:09): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on the contribution South Australian family-owned businesses are making to our economy and how government measures to reduce the cost of doing business in South Australia will help grow the economy and employ more people?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:09): I am absolutely delighted to receive this question from the member for MacKillop, who himself comes from a very longstanding and distinguished family business. He operates from the Conmurra Station, 3,500 hectares, a predominantly wool-growing business. What generation are you up to now?

Mr McBride interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No, what generation?

Mr McBride: Third, probably.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Third generation, so he has still got a long way to go when we compare it with some of the other family businesses in South Australia. Some of them have been operating for five or six generations, and they make an enormous contribution to our state. We are very grateful for the contribution that they make. As you may be aware, sir, I come from a family business background myself. I worked alongside my father, my sisters and even occasionally my mother.

We all really enjoyed the benefit of working in a family business. So many families in South Australia decide to risk their family capital to create jobs in this state to provide employment for the future generation. We in the Liberal Party say thank you very much to this enormously important sector. In a previous life, I actually served as the state president of the SA branch of Family Business Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That was the first time I actually got to meet the member for Schubert, who himself comes from a very distinguished family business in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Not only is he an excellent minister for planning, transport and infrastructure but he was also, in a former life, as you would be aware, sir—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As you would be aware, sir—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —not only is the member for Schubert an excellent minister for planning, transport and infrastructure in South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier will be heard in silence.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —but he was also on the front cover of the White Pages, which recognises the important contribution that family business makes here in South Australia. Those opposite often come from a family business. It's the union movement. They give lots of jobs to their friends and family right across the trade union movement in South Australia, and so they should. It's always important to support family, and that's what we do on this side of the house. We like to support family business. When we look through some of the people who are serving on the board of Family Business Australia here in South Australia at the moment, it is literally a rollcall of some of our most iconic businesses in this state.

Detmold Packaging we know has made a great contribution to our state and so has Gerard McCabe Jewellers. We know that Alister Haigh has served as a longstanding member of Family Business Australia. He has been the state delegate to the national board for a long period of time. That is a fourth generation South Australian business. He runs it with his brother, Simon. They currently employ in excess of 550 people throughout their factories and administration and their 17 retails stores located across Australia. I know that one of their biggest fans, of course, is the member for Florey, who loves Haigh's Chocolates and is often seen handing them out.

Today, I visited Kilic Engineering, a second-generation South Australian engineering firm. We spoke there about our plan to reduce payroll tax here in South Australia. Jason Kilic, the managing director of that firm, says that this will have an impact of $44,000 per year once it's implemented from 1 January 2019. It is a big benefit to the family business sector, to the small business sector in South Australia. They will reinvest that money to create more jobs in South Australia—

The SPEAKER: The Premier's time has expired.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —and to keep our young people here in our state.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the Leader of the Opposition, I call to order the following members: the member for Mawson, the member for West Torrens, the member for Playford, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Lee, the member for Waite, the member for Hammond, the Minister for Industry and the Minister for Transport. I warn for a first time the member for Waite and the member for Hammond. If they continue, they will be departing under 137A. The Leader of the Opposition.