Grievance Debate

State Liberal Government

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (15:11): I think what is abundantly clear to people on our side of the chamber—indeed, I would hope in the parliament generally—is just how precious the gift of government is. In government you have the opportunity to set the course of your state. You have the opportunity to establish an agenda and then pursue it passionately throughout the life of your government to ensure that you are delivering on your solemn obligation to the people of this state to act for their benefit and for their betterment, and you seek to deliver a higher standard of living for our diverse community.

What has become clear to the opposition, and increasingly to the people of South Australia, throughout the course of calendar year 2019—only the second parliamentary sitting year of this government—is that we have a Premier and a ministry who have no intention of taking up that privilege, taking up that opportunity and delivering on an agenda for the state. Let me be honest with the chamber about my reflections at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019.

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni: What about your reflections as the health minister? What did you do as the health minister? What did you do? Nothing.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Innovation and Skills is called to order.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: His zingers are always particularly special. There is one good Pisoni; we know there is one good Pisoni in the family.

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni: What did you do? What did you do? Nothing.

The SPEAKER: Minister!

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni: Aided and abetted, that's what you did.

The SPEAKER: The minister is warned.

Ms Stinson: Chuck him out!

The SPEAKER: I might—I might. The leader has another 20 seconds. You get an extra 20 seconds.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Thank you, Mr Speaker. At the beginning of the year, the opposition set about establishing a plan for our objectives in 2019, contemplating what the government's agenda was. There was a serious exercise undertaken in the Leader of the Opposition's office, trying to premeditate and contemplate what this government's plans would be throughout the course of this calendar year, and we literally did not know what they were.

The year 2019 represents a very significant milestone for the Liberal Party of South Australia. This is the first calendar year that this party has been in charge of the state in 18 years. The last time it occurred was in 2001. One would have naturally expected that we would be witnessing a government full of steam—crystal clear about what their vision was for this state. After 18 years of not having a run-up like they have now, one would have reasonably expected them to be rolling out one plan, one program and one piece of legislation, one after the other.

Instead, we have seen no agenda, no vision and no plan. The consequence of that for the people of South Australia is that they get to now witness and experience the consequence of a government literally making it up as they go along. No-one at the beginning of this year was predicting that the government would privatise our public transport system. No-one at the beginning of this year anticipated $500 million of new taxes, charges, fees and levies.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr MALINAUSKAS: No-one at the beginning of the year had heard of the bin tax. No-one at the beginning of the year was conscious that this government would break the nexus between fees and charges and inflation, and no-one—particularly every single member of this government, barring maybe Mr Rob Lucas from the other place—knew of a plan to dramatically change and increase land taxes in South Australia. Who pays the price? It is the people of this state.

They now have to endure higher fees, they now have to endure higher costs, they now have to endure the economic consequences of that: fewer jobs, higher unemployment than was the case at the beginning of last year, the lowest final demand in the nation, with two consecutive quarters of state final demand contracting.

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is warned.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: They now have to experience hospital ramping twice as bad as it was when this government came into existence. This is a government without a plan, without an agenda and without so much as a vision of this state. They got elected on a slogan. They got elected on a promise: more jobs, lower costs, better services, no privatisation agenda. What we now see are fewer jobs, a higher unemployment rate, higher costs represented through higher fees and charges, and we have seen cut service after cut service, and the big banana, the big kahuna: we have seen privatisation after privatisation after privatisation.

We will not repeat the mistakes of this government. We will take our opportunity in opposition seriously to develop a plan and agenda which we will take to the next election and which will represent a very stark choice for the people of this state in 2022.

Time expired.