Designated Area Migration Agreements

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:14): My question is to the Premier. Why should workers who are employed under your DAMA be paid 10 per cent less than other migrant workers?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:14): I didn't quite gather the nuance of that question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Would the Premier like the question repeated?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes.

The SPEAKER: Could you please repeat the question.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Sure. My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier please explain why workers employed under his DAMA should be paid 10 per cent less than other migrant workers?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: They don't have to be paid 10 per cent less, but there is flexibility—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Member for West Torrens is called to order, as is the member for Badcoe.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —which is built into the Designated Area Migration Agreement. Can I just say—

Mr Szakacs interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —that this is just typical of Labor. They sat on their hands for an extended period of time. They let regional communities right across South Australia suffer the indignity of falling populations.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: By contrast, what we did was go out and speak to people right across regional South Australia about the things which are important to them. Let me tell you that there are very significant skill shortages right across regional South Australia—

Mr Picton interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —and those opposite failed to address those skill shortages over an extended period of time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: But what they don't understand—and there's plenty on that list—one of the things that they don't understand is what skill shortages—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The Premier has the call.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: What I am trying to explain to the house is the importance of dealing with skill shortages across the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Playford is called to order and so is the leader.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you, sir. As I was saying, what those opposite don't understand is that there are very significant skill shortages right across regional South Australia.

Mr Malinauskas: In what jobs?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, there's a list, actually. There's a list, and that was developed in consultation—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —with the people in regional South Australia, with firms that, only a few months ago, those opposite, when they were in government, were great friends of. Those same companies were making representations, talking about the skill shortages that exist across regional South Australia, talking about those skill shortages—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —holding back the productive capacity of our entire state. Those opposite—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —did absolutely nothing about it. By contrast, we care about regional South Australia.

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We want to see regional South Australia grow. We want to see regional populations grow, and to do that we are going to be addressing those constraints to regional South Australia that those left in place. That is a range of issues. In some areas it's blackspots. I would like to commend the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development for the work that he has done in addressing that issue. Regional roads are a big issue right across our state.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I would like to commend the Minister for Transport—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Elizabeth and the member for Ramsay are both called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —Infrastructure and Local Government for the work that he has done to address the very long list of regional roads that need to be upgraded. We have had very significant issues—

Ms Stinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Badcoe is warned.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —in terms of health care, in terms of regional doctors.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order. I will just hear the point of order, Premier.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The question was: why should some workers receive 10 per cent less wages than others? The Premier is now talking about infrastructure, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I don't need ministers to intervene. The Premier is talking about supply and demand and market forces and—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The way I caught it, those matters were germane to the question. In addition to that, I have evidence of a cacophony of noise that has come from those on my left. I ask that to cease so that I can properly hear the Premier, who is trying to complete his answer. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you. What I was attempting to do was talk about the constraints to growing our regional economy. I was pointing out that some of those issues were to do with skill shortages that we have addressed in our DAMA.

Mr Odenwalder interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Elizabeth is warned for a first and second time.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: If those opposite would like to go on the record and say they would like to tear up the regional DAMA for South Australia—750 people per year—then let them do it. But they will incur the wrath—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —of people right across South Australia, who welcomed this government's endeavour to sign up a Designated Area Migration Agreement for regional South Australia. But, as I was going on to say, there are a huge number of other constraints that those opposite in their 16 years of government failed to address for regional South Australia. We are doing our very best to work through those in a logical and considered way.

The SPEAKER: The member for Elder. I will come back to the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Malinauskas: That is two questions.

The SPEAKER: It is three. Member for Elder.