Parliamentary Committees

Economic and Finance Committee: Emergency Services Levy 2018-19

Debate resumed.

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (11:16): It may have been naive of me to think that we were going to have a conversation this morning about the great relief that South Australians are now going to receive as a reduction in emergency services levy bills over the coming financial year. Apparently, that was missed by the member for Lee. Looking back historically at the last couple of years of the emergency services levy, in 2015, straight after the election, out of nowhere there was a massive increase to the emergency services levy.

Mr Malinauskas: As a result of $80 billion worth of cuts.

Mr COWDREY: The then Labor government added $90 million—

Mr Malinauskas: Were you paying attention in 2014?

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition knows that it is out of order to interject.

Mr COWDREY: —to South Australian households that had not been there previously. We talk about a reduction of $90 million. I do not understand how this cannot be a good thing for South Australians. I do not understand how this cannot be a good thing for those in the electorate of Colton. Just last year, the Labor government announced a reduction in the emergency services levy of $3 for the average South Australian—$3—yet the member for Lee is happy to stand and criticise a substantial reduction for the people of South Australia. Not even that, but that $3 reduction was paid for through a reduction in the cash reserves of the levy itself to the point now where those reserves are at their lowest point in a number of years.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

Mr COWDREY: The other convenient fact that the member for Lee managed to miss in his rant earlier is that the relief in the emergency services levy is connected to the value of a property, hence properties valued more highly were, of course, paying higher emergency service levy bills in the first place. When you give a reduction that is proportionate to the value of land, that reduction is not going to be linear across the state but be connected with house value. That is an easy and obviously substantial way of making sure that we understand how this tax has been reduced across the state.

The member for Waite has gone into the details regarding those who came and gave evidence before the committee. He has discussed the resultant application and this great outcome for the people of South Australia. It is a substantial thing and it has a substantial impact for those who live in Colton, many of whom have invested in property.

House values have risen in the western suburbs over time, and the increases that occurred in 2015 were substantial. It pushed many people over the edge. That, in addition to the other taxation increases that have occurred across the state over a number of years, has added to the cost of living, the cost of doing business, and the inability for people to be able to invest in and grow not just their business but also their families and things that they believe are going to help them.

The importance of our emergency services should not be lost on us. These services are vitally important to our state. As the member for Lee discussed, and something on which I agree with him, is the great role that our emergency services play, including the surf lifesavers, whether they be from the Grange Surf Life Saving Club, the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club, the Henley Surf Life Saving Club or any other surf lifesaving club down the coast. We in this place are always happy to support the fantastic activities and volunteerism that comes with our surf lifesavers.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the Sea Rescue Squadron at West Beach with the Minister for Emergency Services. We met with Commodore Al Cormack to—

Mr Malinauskas: He's a good man.

Mr COWDREY: He is a very good man, as the Leader of the Opposition notes. He has done a fantastic job, and there is a fantastic service offered to not just the people in the coastal areas of South Australia but anyone interested in getting out onto our waters. The protection that is given by that service across the coastal areas of South Australia is vital, and they are often thanked in great capacity by many in our community.

The levy supports a full range of emergency services across our state, whether that be the Metropolitan Fire Service, the Country Fire Service, the State Emergency Service, SA Police, the State Rescue Helicopter Service or the shark beach patrol. These services are vital to the whole of our state in many ways. As I have said, everybody in this place certainly respects, understands and appreciates the role they play in protecting us and keeping us safe in the very worst of circumstances.

We are unable to see a reduction in a tax that has increased significantly over the past four years and has affected many areas as a good thing. I am only new to this place, and the naivety may still be there to an extent, but why would we not see a reduction in costs as a good thing for South Australians? The mantra which the Liberal Party brought to the most recent election around more jobs, better services and lower costs was centred around reducing the cost of living for many South Australians. If you look at payroll tax, if you look at the emergency services levy, and if you look at a range of other policies that the Liberal Party brought to the election, you will see they were focused on exactly those things: reducing costs for South Australians.

South Australians have been doing it tough in an environment that seemed to see nothing but increases in costs for so many years. To see a new approach—an approach that provides opportunities for businesses to invest and to create jobs in South Australia, and for people who have been doing it tough for so many years to start to see some relief and for once see things going down and not up—is something that I think is welcomed by all South Australians. It is something that I certainly welcome in this place, and I value the opportunity to have been a part of this committee in passing this important reform.

Ms BETTISON (Ramsay) (11:24): I rise today to talk about the 2018-19 Economic and Finance Committee report on the emergency services levy. I would like to start my speech today by acknowledging the hard work and dedication that our emergency services provide to our communities. We heard, when we interviewed them, about how the emergency services responded to more than 45,000 incidents, which were called in to 000 or 132 500.

We know that the funds collected by the emergency services levy contribute to their work. They support the Metropolitan Fire Service, the Country Fire Service, the State Emergency Service, Volunteer Marine Rescue SA and the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission, as well as the rescue components of Surf Life Saving SA, the South Australia Police Rescue Squad and the State Rescue Helicopter Service.

This is important work that needs to be supported and appropriately funded. There are always going to be ongoing challenges in ensuring that our personnel have access to modern equipment and vehicles. There are additional challenges with our state's changing demographics and requirements. Their total expenditure is expected to be $318.4 million this year.

I take this opportunity to recognise our emergency services during my time as minister for communities. When I reflect on the necessity for us to provide relief and recovery, I am reminded of four particular incidents. The first is the Sampson Flat bushfire in January 2015. People may recall that we could see it here from the city. It got not only national but also international attention. In fact, we were very well supported by the State Emergency Relief Fund, with many donations from individuals and the corporate sector. We had to have many meetings around how we provided that support, and that continued for more than a year as we did our recovery. We set up an office, and the Hon. Karlene Maywald headed up that work. It showed the vulnerability that existed post the emergency.

I want to thank those people in the emergency services, and I want to recognise the fact that a lot of work happened after that time. Later in that year, in November 2015, the Pinery fire happened. It is very sad for us to remember that we lost two South Australians on that day and that several others were seriously injured. There were many who experienced quite significant burns. That was a very quick fire. The former minister for the emergency services will remember that day. It was very quick but very damaging, and we lost around $70 million of crop value that year.

In 2016, we had significant rains and experienced quite significant flooding in the Virginia area. Once again, we were impacted quite severely, especially the growers out there. I recognise the former minister for primary industries for his quick support of how we could work together. We got some machines in there to get rid of the water very quickly and to do waste management as well. In those initial days and weeks, it was our emergency services that went out there and helped.

I cannot go on without mentioning the impact of quite a severe storm in the Riverland area. It impacted over Mildura and Victoria and then came across the border. If I remember rightly, almonds, grapes and citrus that were most significantly impacted. We were able to put a relief and recovery situation in there. Of course, we saw our emergency services there in the first few days and weeks, but we committed recovery organisations to support those industry workers.

I hope those on the other side, during their term in government, never have to commit to relief and recovery, because it is a time of great sadness in South Australia and incredible change for people, impacting not just on their livelihood but often on their lives. It is very important that we support our emergency services personnel and continue to fund them appropriately, but there was a group of people who completely missed out. The government went to the election and said, 'We will cut ESL bills by $90 million a year,' but there are 137,000 concession holders who saw none of that.

Mr Brown: Nothing.

Ms BETTISON: Nothing, not even an indexation of the concession. It was a flat fee of $46. The rate stayed the same. Where was this information when it was taken to the election? These concession holders have been abandoned.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms BETTISON: All bills will be lower except for concession holders and, once again, there is no indexation. We as a government looked at some of those challenges to the cost of living and increased the indexation on the utilities and energy area. I call upon this government to index that concession but to be honest and up-front that this cut in the ESL did not benefit all South Australians. We have heard that there will be a varying reflection on this cut depending on how much your home is worth, and the reality is that concession holders have been abandoned and they will not see anything more for this concession.

While we know how important this is, and we know how important it is for us to maintain capital infrastructure, which is very expensive, we know that we want to continue to support our emergency services. As I end my comments, I request that the government be up-front and honest that 137,000 concession holders did not receive a cut. I ask them to consider increasing this flat concession and indexing it to support those people in South Australia who are the most vulnerable and who are struggling with the cost of living.

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (11:31): I rise today to speak in support of the Emergency Services Levy 2018-19 report prepared by the Economic and Finance Committee. I had the great pleasure of being part of the formulation of that report. It was a good opportunity to question representatives from the associated agencies and stakeholders, and it was an absolute pleasure to be involved.

Despite repeated efforts from the opposition, there was absolutely no doubt for those present in the room that the relief felt by ESL bill payers will be $90 million in total, statewide, over the four years. That much is abundantly clear when reading the Hansard and it is a shame that the member for Lee could not bring himself to acknowledge that fact in his presentation. It is absolutely breathtaking to hear the member for Lee and the member for Ramsay lecture us about not lowering bills enough after they ramped up the bills sneakily after the last election with no forewarning at all to the people of South Australia.

It is not surprising that it is just another example of a party addicted to higher taxes. It is breathtaking and galling to hear them criticise us for the relief we have provided to South Australian households: $90 million statewide that South Australians will not have to pay. It will remain in their pocket to spend as they wish, on what they wish and when they wish. It can only be a good thing, and I am proud to have been a member of the party that provided that relief to South Australians.

It is just another example of us delivering on a promise. It is a commitment that we made to the South Australian people prior to the election—a promise to deliver $90 million of relief to those people—and just another example, which is happening with startling frequency, of a welcome change for those people who have been struggling to make ends meet after 16 years of hard Labor. This will be well appreciated within the regions, where I saw bills that had risen dramatically without warning after the last election and people absolutely mystified as to why they were facing bills that were $1,100 more expensive than they had faced previously.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition is called to order.

Mr ELLIS: These are the people who contribute most to our emergency services—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr ELLIS: —by volunteering and contributing their own time and money and their own equipment to their local brigades, and they were the ones who were hit with these huge bill rises that they now have been provided relief from in the form of our ESL bill reduction. Importantly, despite this reduction in the bills, there will be no reduction in local services and no reduction in front-line services which will occur because of the result of these reductions. It is a true win-win for the general population—more money in their pocket and more great emergency services.

Keeping communities safe is the primary responsibility of any government, and I rise today in support of the vital collaborative efforts that are needed from so many across the state to ensure that this responsibility is met. It is predominantly provided by volunteer community members, and in my electorate of Narungga brigades of volunteers from across all communities and districts assist with the provision of emergency services to fight fires, rescue people on land and sea, attend vehicle accidents, remain on-call day and night as ambulance drivers and paramedics, suit up to protect against chemical spills, work on roofs in storms to carry out the tarpaulining of houses and businesses or work out in the rain and wind to chainsaw trees and remove debris from roads to ensure safe passage.

These services could not be provided without the willingness of volunteers to provide them, and we thank them for their contribution to our communities. We all remember the catastrophic Pinery fire in November 2015, which was alluded to by the member for Ramsay previously, which was near Mallala and Balaklava and stretched everyone to the limit. It caused the unfortunate deaths of two people and burnt out 85,000 hectares from which the area is still recovering.

Minister Speirs (Minister for Environment and Water) and I were out there only two weeks ago to meet with local farmers in that area to see the environmental impact on roadside trees which were impacted by the fire and, whilst they appear to have regrown, they still offer hidden dangers as they are weakened within and are still posing a hazard to road users. So all these behind-the-scenes issues which are seldom highlighted but which must all be addressed in order to keep our communities safe.

In April, only a few weeks ago, another serious bushfire in the Narungga electorate occurred in Stansbury which also saw everyone swinging into action again, with farmer water units and dozens of volunteer CFS from local brigades who managed to get ahead of the blaze which was only three kilometres north of the town and running uncontrolled towards the St Vincent Highway. There is no way such bushfires could be controlled quickly without the locals putting their lives at risk and pitching in. Again, we say thank you to them.

It is the least governments can do to provide all the support they need to provide us with our safety. I report that there is currently an alarming and specific challenge being faced by volunteers across the electorate with filling ambulance rosters. There are simply not enough people willing to donate their time to be on-call all night to fill these positions, and those who are doing their bit are stretched, meaning that some are reluctantly leaving the rosters because the service is proving too much for them.

They want to help but they need to have their own life, too, and the hours they are required to put into this service can take quite a toll. These dangerous shortages are across the state and leaving our rosters unfilled, meaning blowing out response times for people in dire need of emergency health care in country areas that are already challenged by distances between services and the time it takes to get from A to B.

I am currently assisting Point Turton sea rescue in their pursuit for a new sea rescue boat, and I look forward to making an application for ESL-related funding for that. They have faced the ridiculous situation of having a sea rescue vessel that is not permitted to go more than two nautical miles offshore to perform a rescue. I am sure everyone in this place will be well aware that most boats become stranded farther out than two nautical miles and it just about renders their asset useless. They are in the hunt for a new boat, so I am looking forward to assist them in trying to secure that funding. It significantly hamstrings the assistance they can provide to stranded fishermen and is placing unnecessary stress on neighbouring crews.

I met with the Wallaroo SES and sea rescue volunteers, who also need a new facility. This area is experiencing significant population growth, in the area of 26 per cent since 2011, and has tens of thousands of tourists to cater for every holiday period. Whilst this growth is welcome, it places stress on existing emergency and health services. It is the responsibility of this government to alleviate such stress. The SES and CFS respond to many diverse incidents, be they fire or flood, natural calamities or man-made, pipe bursts, traffic incidents, road blocks, sandbagging, chemical hazards, and they commit hours of training and hours in attending incidents to assist their fellow community members, and their efforts are recognised.

We have an interesting situation on the Copper Coast, where I reside, where there is both the MFS and CFS, and demarcation of responsibility can be quite interesting when it comes to attending incidents, and we do appreciate that there are many people ready to offer their assistance when there is a fire within the town of Kadina. I am in touch with the CFS and the MFS. When the time comes when there is a new MFS station built, I will be making representations that investigations should be looked into, in terms of consolidating the three MFS stations—Wallaroo, Moonta and Kadina—into one big station, provided that does not negatively impact response times for the people of the towns that will miss out on having a station. With the wonderful CFS team we have in Kadina, it would make a lot of sense to consolidate those three MFS stations into one big station elsewhere.

I thank the house for its time and applaud the Marshall Liberal government for delivering a $90 million saving to the people of South Australia. I look forward to working towards more cost-saving measures into the future.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (11:40): This report into the emergency services levy for the 2018-19 year is the first report provided by the Economic and Finance Committee to this session of parliament. As the Presiding Member stated, one of the functions of the Economic and Finance Committee under the Parliamentary Committees Act is:

…to perform such functions as are imposed on the Committee under this or any other Act by resolution of both Houses.

Specifically in regard to the emergency services levy, section 10(5) of the Emergency Services Funding Act requires that the minister must refer to the Economic and Finance Committee a written statement setting out determinations that the minister proposes to make in respect of the emergency services levy for that relevant financial year. Section 10(4) of the act also requires these determinations to be made in respect of the amount that needs to be raised by means of the levy on property to fund these emergency services, the amounts to be expended in the forthcoming year on various kinds of emergency services, and also the extent to which various parts of the state will benefit from the application of those amounts.

Pursuant to this act, the Economic and Finance Committee must inquire into, consider and report on the minister's statement within 21 days after it has been referred to the committee, which is what the committee has done, and we ask this house to note the committee's report. On 31 May 2018, the committee received that said copy of the written statement containing determinations from the Treasurer, which form the basis for a recommendation to the Governor in respect of declaring the emergency services levy for 2018-19.

Upon receiving the Treasurer's report, the committee held a public hearing on 8 June with representatives from the Department of Treasury and Finance, including Julie Holmes (Acting Commissioner of State Taxation for RevenueSA) and Greg Raymond (Director of Revenue and Intergovernmental Relations, Budget and Performance). There were also attendees from the emergency services sector, including representatives from SAFECOM, SA State Emergency Service, Country Fire Service and SA Metropolitan Fire Service. The witnesses included Malcolm Jackman from SAFECOM, Chris Beattie from the SES, Greg Nettleton from the CFS, Michael Morgan from the MFS and Karen Prideaux from the Community Emergency Services Fund.

Many others in this house who have spoken previously said that the South Australian emergency services sector provides an essential role in the safety of all South Australians. The emergency services sector comprises the three above-mentioned services and also SAFECOM. Mr Jackman from SAFECOM explained that, in the last year, the first responders from the CFS, MFS and SES were dispatched to around 45,000 incidents resulting from calls to either 000 or 132 500.

Mr Jackman explained that the relationship between SAFECOM and the three operational services—the CFS, MFS and SES—provide their own front-line support, with SAFECOM providing all the functional support across finance, people, ICT and public information and warnings. This back office supports around 60 staff and assists nearly 16,500 volunteers and paid staff at over 525 locations.

It is fair to say that the South Austrian public are very appreciative of all the work that the emergency services do for this state, and they also have high levels of trust and respect for those emergency services first responders and what they do for them. I acknowledge that as well in this house. The report itself outlines that the total expenditure on emergency services is projected to be $318.4 million in 2018-19. This compares with a total expenditure in the 2017-18 year that is now budgeted to reach $302.9 million.

Mr Jackman also explained to the committee that the emergency services sector will account for approximately 86 per cent of the emergency services levy expenditure, while another 9 per cent will go to other government agencies, predominantly SAPOL and the Department for Environment and Water. Another 2 per cent will go to NGOs such as Surf Life Saving South Australia and the volunteer marine rescue organisations, which are all very worthy organisations. I spoke about the importance of surf lifesaving yesterday in this house. The balance of the expenditure goes to collection costs.

Mr Jackman also outlined that the environment in which they operate is confronted with changing demographics and population growth, such as the Mount Barker township, the population of which, as the member for Kavel will know, is forecast to increase and double in the next 20 years. There are also emerging economic drivers. The consequence is that there is a changing risk profile that demands a shift or an increase in resources. So we have seen that the expenditure has gone up this year whereby, in addition to the standard growth in this base expenditure, additional funding has been provided for several new measures, including improved aerial firefighting capabilities for the CFS to the tune of $2.3 million and the cost of a new enterprise bargaining agreement of $6.3 million.

The expenditure target of $318.4 million for the 2018-19 year will be predominately funded by the emergency services levy at $315 million, other minor revenues to the Community Emergency Services Fund of $1.9 million and a rundown in cash in the said fund as well for the cost of expenditure carried over from previous years of $1.4 million. The levy proposal consists of a charge to owners of both fixed property, of $267.5 million, and mobile property, of $47.6 million. The amount required to be raised from the ESL rate settings in 2018-19 will increase by $21.8 million compared with the 2017-18 year, which is higher than the increase in expenditure due to the significant use of cash balances from the Community Emergency Services Fund—$7.7 million, in fact, to fund a proportion of expenditure in 2017-18.

Would it be a coincidence that this also occurred in an election year? Also, in regard to this, Mr Raymond from the Department of Treasury and Finance explained that the decision was made last year to use a proportion of the cash balances to fund the actual emergency services expenditure at this time and confirmed that running down these cash balances is unsustainable over the long term.

Importantly, remissions for general property will be introduced in 2018-19, which will reduce the emergency services levy paid by property owners. These remissions will reduce the emergency services levy by $90 million, which is consistent with our election commitments, despite what the member for Lee was trying to say. We know that in 2014, soon after the last election the previous Labor government imposed a massive increase on family homes, businesses, farms, churches, community organisations and independent schools.

Labor did not tell voters before the election that it would be withdrawing a general remission on the levy. In fact, the impact on the emergency services levy is being felt through the entire economy and also the community. As a result, for the past four years Labor has been taking an extra $90 million out of the pockets of South Australian taxpayers. The Marshall Liberal government went to the election with a commitment to cut the emergency services levy by $90 million a year, while also maintaining the same level of service provided by these valued emergency services. That is exactly what we have delivered, despite protestations from the other side of the house.

This $90 million cut came into effect from the 1 July. It is acting already and maintains the current level of emergency services provided to South Australians. Under questioning, Mr Raymond confirmed that this $90 million in remissions for people who were not previously getting remissions is to a total value of $90 million. It is in addition to remissions that a pensioner, concession card holder or eligible recipient will receive.

Overall, the report outlined that the government will pay $130 million into the CESF in 2018-19 to reflect amounts equivalent to fixed property levy revenues forgone through remissions, as well as pensioner concessions, in addition to these contributions. Mr Raymond gave the committee the example that the bill of a median-price property of $470,000 in metropolitan Adelaide would go down by $164, and that is more than the $150 of our election commitment. This $164 is if there were no remissions for this year and results in a saving of 56 per cent compared with what that bill would have been without these remissions.

There was talk on the other side about trying to take into account median house prices from the previous year, but this is an actual cash saving, so there is nothing duplicitous about what we are committing to. Also, the argument from across the house did not take into account that $7.7 million of the increase in expenditure is due to money being taken out of the Community Emergency Services Fund (CESF).

All up, this $90 million in remission is fantastic news for all South Australians who are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living. Implemented in our first 100 days, it clearly demonstrates that the Marshall Liberal government is delivering lower costs for all South Australians. The Economic and Finance Committee recommends that the parliament note this report.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (11:51): I am very happy to rise and support this motion from the member for Waite that the first report of the Economic and Finance Committee, entitled Emergency Services Levy 2018-19, be noted. This reduction in ESL bills, and the flow-on savings to South Australians, is precisely what the majority of King electors told me they needed to help reduce their cost of living.

This real change we have introduced means that the average ESL bill will more than halve for many households and will undoubtedly save many homeowners money they can spend on their choice of where to send their children to school, on other bills, such as the weekly food bill, and on many other important decisions they need to make. I still recall doorknocking an emergency services volunteer at One Tree Hill and having the conversation with them about how much time they volunteer themselves to keep our community safe, yet their family is struggling with the cost of living and with the ESL bill that hurts them since the Labor Party hiked this tax.

The introduction of this change is one of the Marshall Liberal government's key election commitments. Our focus and commitment have been steadfastly on reducing the cost of living. This will continue to be our focus, and we will continue delivering on it. Our government is taking action on every single one of the promises it made before the election, and we are sitting late virtually every night that we are here to get through the bold program that this government has in place for South Australians. We are loving it and we are fixing up the mess that we inherited. We are not complaining about it; we are getting on with it every day, moving South Australia in the right direction.

The emergency services levy funds the provision of emergency services in South Australia and applies to all fixed property and some mobile properties. The money collected by the emergency services levy is placed into a dedicated fund for the exclusive use of the emergency services, including the Metropolitan Fire Service, the Country Fire Service, the State Emergency Service, Volunteer Marine Rescue SA, the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission and the rescue components of Surf Life Saving SA, South Australia Police Rescue and the State Rescue Helicopter Service.

In 2014, the Weatherill Labor government imposed a massive tax increase on our family homes, businesses, farms, churches, community organisations, independent schools and many other groups via this increase in the ESL. I want to take a moment to thank every emergency service worker and volunteer in our state for their hard work. Special thanks go out to the Tea Tree Gully SES, the One Tree Hill CFS, the Salisbury MFS and the CFS locally, which all play a vital role in our community.

Unfortunately, without any mandate because Labor did not tell voters before the 2014 election what it intended, the government withdrew a general remission on the levy. They were not honest, they were not up-front and they were not caring about the impact. The impact has cascaded through the entire economy and community, taking an extra $90 million a year out of the pockets of South Australian taxpayers, including hurting the households of the very people who volunteer for our emergency services. This placed an increasing pressure on household businesses and has been strangling our economy.

That is why our Marshall Liberal government has slashed the ESL. South Australians benefit from this saving to their household budget from 1 July 2018. We have delivered this tax cut while maintaining the current level of emergency services provided to South Australians. This $360 million election commitment means that there will be a significant saving for the average household, with a property valued at the median price of $470,000 to receive a $144.85 saving on its ESL bill in 2018-19. In fact, the savings for this household would have been even higher, at $164.65, when compared with what it would have paid under a re-elected Labor government.

While the former treasurer, Tom Koutsantonis, was last year spruiking a $3 saving on ESL bills, which would not even have got you a cup of coffee, this government is providing so many households with a significant saving on their ESL bill, which will provide genuine relief to the budgets of South Australian families. Total expenditure on emergency services is projected to be $318.4 million in 2018-19, up from an estimated $302.9 million in 2017-18. This excludes the cost of election commitments, which further increase emergency services expenditure. These costs will be funded outside of the rate-setting process to remove any impact on ESL bills.

We will continue to be focused and deliver real change that puts money back into the pockets of hardworking households and businesses to spend on what matters to them. I have front of mind the conversations with my King community members on cost of living. No-one in my local community is happy for pensioners to be too scared to safely turn on their heaters or their air conditioners if they need to. We have listened and we are delivering. We care about the people in our electorates. I thank the hardworking member for Waite for this motion, and I commend it to members.

Mr MURRAY (Davenport) (11:58): I rise to support the motion from the member for Waite that the first report of the Economic and Finance Committee, entitled Emergency Services Levy 2018-19, be noted. In rising to support this motion, I wish first of all to briefly reprise the history of the last four or so years because this report from the committee in question effectively ends a four-year fight by those on this side of the house to provide relief to the ordinary men and women, the electors, of South Australia.

I want to take the house back to an equivalent debate on the receipt of the report, the same report and the same committee, albeit the one delivered in November 2014. I refer to page 2950 of Hansard and, in particular, note the then member for Goyder's contribution where he very helpfully enumerated the increases in terms of both dollars and percentage rates for 57 of the 68 councils.

Unlike the then member for Goyder, I do not propose to walk through each and every one of those; however, in light of today's speakers, and in particular those present, I thought that it would be germane to our discussion to reprise the amount of money ripped from those communities by that increase in 2014. I will start with my own electorate, which is served by the councils of Onkaparinga and Mitcham. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.