State Economy

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:10): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier please update the house on how lowering costs for South Australian households and businesses will drive economic growth?

The SPEAKER: Before I call the Premier—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier, be seated for one moment.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I give the leader great latitude because he is the leader, but he is testing it today. I have asked that I can listen to the question and that members not interject between the full question and the answer. I am going to ask for the question again. The member for Elder, please repeat.

Mrs POWER: Thank you. My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier please update the house on how lowering costs for South Australian households and businesses will drive economic growth?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:10): I am very—

Mr BROWN: Point of order, Mr Speaker. That question was out of order: it asked the minister 'to please update the house', which is not necessary. I draw on the rulings of Speaker Lewis.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order on the point of order.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Sir, Speaker Atkinson had this matter drawn to his attention on many occasions and identified, in my recollection at least, that it was a frivolous point of order.

Ms Cook interjecting:

The SPEAKER: No, I do not need anymore assistance, but thank you. I am going to allow the question on this occasion, and I will decipher and run through the various findings of Speakers Atkinson and Lewis on this point and if necessary I will come back to the house, but thank you, member for Playford. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you very much, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It is a very important question, that the member for Elder asks about how we are driving economic growth in this state by lowering costs for families and for households in South Australia, and whilst those opposite—

The Hon. A. Piccolo interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Light is warned a second and final time.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —try to make a lot of noise, because that is what they do best—they make a lot of noise—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —they never delivered for the people of South Australia, not for 16 years, and that is why we were elected in March of last year.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier, please be seated. Before I hear from the member for West Torrens, I am going to ask the member for Light to leave for 20 minutes under 137A for interjections during the Premier's answer. The member for West Torrens is probably going to—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Debate, sir.

The SPEAKER: —yes, raise it for debate. In all seriousness, I really did struggle to hear most of that answer because of many members interjecting. Thank you, member for Light.

The honourable member for Light having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully to the answer. The Premier has the call. I would like to hear his answer.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you very much, sir. My government was elected. We were very much committed to lowering costs for households and for businesses in South Australia, and that is what we have done since day one in this parliament, delivering lower costs for businesses and for households—

Mr Hughes interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Giles is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —in South Australia. And that continued this week when we—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —announced our position with regard to land tax—

Mr Picton interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Kaurna!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —a further cut to the massive burden that was inflicted upon the people of South Australia for such a long period of time by those opposite. This morning—

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Reynell!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —sir, I was delighted to travel with you to your electorate, the electorate of Hartley, where I met with a couple, Dom and Lyn—people who have worked hard, people who have accumulated assets over a long period of time, and some of those many people in South Australia who have had to suffer under the highest land tax regimes in the country, paying a top rate of 3.7 per cent in South Australia. They were delighted because they had heard a lot of misinformation about the position that the Liberal Party was taking with regard to land tax. They were absolutely delighted that their land tax bill will come down by thousands of dollars every single year.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That's precisely why we have pushed ahead with this reform—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —to put more money back into the pockets of ordinary South Australians.

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Reynell is warned.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It is money they can spend in our economy to grow the size of our economy in South Australia, to create more jobs in South Australia to give to our next generation—

Mr Patterson interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —like the students here today in the public gallery, those fantastic students over here from the YP. We are making these moves to grow our economy, to create more jobs, so that these young people have a future here in South Australia, a future denied by those opposite in the 16 long years they were in government. What is the Leader of the Opposition's response?

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Absolutely hopeless this week.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order. The point of order is for debate.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, of course, sir.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has provided some relevant preamble. I have allowed a little bit of compare and contrast. I ask him to come back to the substance of the question, which was about lowering costs, I believe.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Lowering costs, sir, and our land tax position is part of that.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: There is $70 million back into the economy at a time when the Australian economy is slowing.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The Reserve Bank governor is out talking about stimulus.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Let me tell you, we are embarking on our own stimulus. Straightaway there is $70 million back into the South Australian economy. There is $70 million back into the pockets of ordinary, hardworking South Australians so they can spend it in the economy to create more jobs, but we haven't stopped there. On 1 January this year, we lowered payroll tax for all small businesses in this state, and those opposite hate it. They love taxes.

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That's what they inflicted for 16 long years.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order. The Premier has finished his answer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, if I may, under indulgence—

The SPEAKER: Yes.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —the Premier makes these remarks and debate in his answers that in turn generate interjections. Opposition members are then expelled for those interjections.

The SPEAKER: I have the point of order. I ask members not to provoke other members if they can, and hopefully the member for West Torrens will also abide by that ruling. If he likes, I will give him the call.