Land Tax

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee) (14:31): My question is to the Premier. Why can't the Premier concede that his proposed land tax changes will raise more money for the government?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order, sir: that is almost a direct repeat of a previous question, with one or two words replaced, and is therefore out of order.

The SPEAKER: I believe it was slightly different. I do take the point of order. Is the Premier willing to answer the question?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I have allowed the question, so be quiet and let's listen.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:31): I am very happy to answer this slightly altered question. Again, it's clear to me that the opposition has no questions—

The Hon. A. Piccolo interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Light, you have been doing it all day. You can leave for the remainder of question time.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —no questions whatsoever. There are members—I'm not allowed to name them of course—who sit there and must be bursting to ask a question in their portfolio area—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —and they haven't heard anything, even when half the front bench gets thrown out they are not allowed to ask a question because the member for Lee—

Mr PICTON: Point of order: debate.

The SPEAKER: The point of order is for debate. The member for Light is leaving, so I will let him leave.

The honourable member for Light having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: I ask that the interjections cease so that I can hear the Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I'm not so sure it was debate at all, sir. It was really an observation as to what's going on.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier, I asked that the interjections cease so that I could listen to whether in fact debate was occurring. I thank the member for Lee for his assistance. It's not required but I thank him, and I will listen to the Premier's answer if he can come back to the substance of the question. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: This gives me an opportunity to go through it one more time and just explain to people—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —what some people find extraordinarily difficult to understand.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is warned for a second time.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: And that is that since getting elected to this parliament 18 months ago—

Ms Stinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Badcoe is on two warnings.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —determined to change the fortunes of South Australia, determined to change confidence levels in South Australia, the job creation levels in South Australia and the investment levels into our state. We have been very busy since we got elected trying to improve the landscape that we had inherited from those opposite. We have worked very hard to lower costs, and principal amongst those is halving the emergency services levy. Some opposite find that hilarious, but let me tell you that when people receive their emergency services levy bill they are very happy to see it halved—$90 million going back into the economy.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: What happens when $90 million goes back into the economy? People get to spend it on what they want to spend it on. They love the fact that their emergency services levy bill has halved. Small business loves the fact that we have cut all payroll tax out altogether.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order: the question was about the Premier's admission of increasing land tax revenue to the government.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I have a point of order for debate. Premier, I ask you to come back to the substance of the question, thank you.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Those opposite for some reason assert that a $70 million reduction in land tax revenue, envisaged from 1 July next year over the coming three years, is somehow an increase. They repeat it time and time again, as if they say it often enough it becomes the truth. It is like something out of a George Orwell novel.

The reality is: take a look at the budget papers. The budget papers contain elements last budget and elements this budget which, combined, will deliver land tax cuts effective from 1 July next year and over the subsequent three years will reduce land tax take into South Australia from these measures by $70 million.

That is $70 million that will be going back into the economy, back into the pockets of ordinary South Australian mums and dads and businesses—don't forget businesses pay land tax as well. They will be able to put more money back into their programs to update their plant and equipment to employ more South Australians. That's what this is about: a fairer system. Those people who are opposed to it are yet to offer a single plausible explanation—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee can leave for 25 minutes under 137A.

The honourable member for Lee having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —why somebody's exact amount of land assets should be paying completely different rates of taxation. It makes no sense and they know it. So they come in here, changing a word, changing an adjective and trying to ask exactly the same question, but our response is exactly the same.

We are happy to answer every question in this entire question time on land tax. It's not a problem at all. But some over there, when all their colleagues get thrown out, must be saying, 'When are they going to let me ask a question?'—not referring to anybody in particular. It must be humiliating.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: If these interjections on my right continue, someone will be paying the price today.