Grievance Debate

State Liberal Government

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (15:06): Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to rise and address the house at the end of a very, very important sitting week. I think some of the travails of the South Australian branch of the Liberal Party and their long record of disunity have been well documented in recent history.

We just heard the Minister for Police and Correctional Services referring to 16 long years of Labor. What was undoubtedly true across those 16 years of Labor government was a unified outfit committed to their cause. During the course of those 16 years, we saw a Liberal Party tearing themselves apart at the seams, not exactly sure who their leader was, going through leader after leader and deputy after deputy.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order: it has been alleged that the Labor Party was unified. I think that when members say things that are wrong, it should be drawn to the house's attention. Speaker Atkinson's valedictory speech is very helpful—very, very helpful—on this issue, sir.

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta can leave for half an hour under 137A. That is completely bogus. Leader.

The honourable member for Morialta having withdrawn from the chamber:

Mr MALINAUSKAS: About as bogus as the unity that underpins this government.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader has the call.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Multiple leaders, multiple deputies—

The Hon. V.A. Chapman interjecting:

Mr MALINAUSKAS: That's right, Vickie, we know all about it, that's right. The Attorney-General knows all about it, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Who sits here, Mr Speaker?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Who sits here? The irony of the Attorney-General. Who could possibly rule out—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr MALINAUSKAS: —that the Attorney-General is not up to her neck in the machinations of this week? Nobody could rule it out.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr MALINAUSKAS: There was a brief period where it looked as though there was a semblance of unity within this outfit. Their Premier, the member for Dunstan, has got them all back on the same page. They are working together now. That mythology ended this week—ended with the spectre of not one, not two, not three, but four Liberal MPs crossing the floor and voting directly against a minister and directly to undermine the Premier. Do not worry, the Attorney-General has a big smile on her face. We all know why. But ultimately—

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Leader, be seated for one moment. Is the minister's point of order 'reflecting on the vote of the house'?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Yes, sir.

The SPEAKER: I think the leader has made his point and I would advise him to be cautious on that issue. Thank you.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Let's go on to another important issue that has been traversed this week within the parliament, and that is this Premier's credibility. Ultimately, a government trades on its credibility. The Premier promised the people of South Australia two things before the election. He promised lower costs; that is what he said he would do. What he said he would not do was privatisations. This week, we have learned that this state government has made a conscious decision, presumably in conjunction with the entirety of the party room, to break that promise and deliver privatisation of a key public service that 70,000 people rely upon.

But something else has transpired just today. Just today, we heard the Premier and the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure fail to rule out the privatisation of Service SA. That is a revelation. Why not rule out the privatisation of this key government service? We have seen this move before. They started by saying, 'We won't rule out the privatisation of trams and trains,' yet here we are. Now we are hearing that they are not ruling out the privatisation of Service SA.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr MALINAUSKAS: We now suspect, for very good reason, that this government does have plans to privatise Service SA. The backbench looked dumbfounded, just as they did when we heard about the proposition of trains and trams, but this is now a live proposition that is worthy of scrutiny.

Mr Patterson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett is warned.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Yet again, the now unassailable, undeniable fact is that this government does indeed have a privatisation agenda, not just the Remand Centre, not just hospital transfers, not just trains and trams but also now the prospect of privatisation of Service SA. Of course, that comes on the back of the lower costs promise. Are we going down a path of privatisation to reduce debt in this state? No; debt is going up big time, unprecedented to record levels.

Are we going down a path of privatisation to pursue a lower costs agenda? No; $513 million of brand-new taxes is evidence of that, taxes that every South Australian will have to pay—particularly in your electorate, Mr Speaker, when it comes to land tax. We know that there are other costs being imposed upon South Australians: every car they drive, every boat they register and if they so much as have a trailer, if they are a tradie, bad luck; they have to pay an extra tax. If you so much as put your bin out, this government is going to tax you more. There is nothing that moves that they are not taxing. There is nothing that moves that they are not selling. That undermines this government's credibility, and that will not be forgotten in March 2022.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!