Regional South Australia

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister please inform the house how the government is working to reduce costs for communities in regional South Australia?

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:33): I thank the member for Narungga for his very important question, because he knows that this government is the best friend that regional South Australia has ever had. After 16 years of neglect, the regions can finally accept that they have a government that is governing for all of South Australia, but in particular with the savings that regions are now seeing. The emergency services levy: the government has slashed those annual bills, up to a 50 per cent saving in the 2021 year, and that is an outstanding $360 million ESL saving over the four years.

For a property in the member for Narungga's electorate in Kadina, with a $300,000 residential property value, they will save $81.80. That is an outstanding saving under this proposed emergency services levy. A $1 million primary production property will save $85 compared with the ESL under the previous Labor government.

CTP insurance premium reforms provide users a choice—those families and businesses, particularly in the regions—knowing that many regional families, businesses and farms have multiple vehicles. They are going to have multiple savings: up to a $66 saving for a private passenger vehicle and up to $50 for a light goods vehicle, and that is an 18 per cent saving.

Last week, the Minister for Water made an outstanding announcement about savings on water bills. We know that in regional South Australia, particularly on SA Water trunk mains, a lot of our primary producers are feeding their livestock with treated SA Water. They will now see significant savings not only for their households but for their businesses. We know that livestock and those intensive farming businesses are intensive water users and so they will see intensive savings.

What we will see is that of that $186 million in water and sewerage bill savings, an average country residential water and sewerage bill will be reduced by 13 per cent. Better still, an average country non-residential water bill will be reduced by over 18 per cent. That is an outstanding result for the regional sector.

The government had also announced that isolated northern towns will have statewide prices extended. Marree, Manna Hill, Marla, Terowie, Oodnadatta and Yunta, these northern towns have seen exorbitant prices for their water over a number of years, and now they are coming into line with standardised pricing. I think that is an outstanding result. They are being treated like citizens of South Australia not citizens of a faraway place. Livestock SA chief executive, Andrew Curtis, has welcomed the reform, saying that the farming sector has been calling for these changes for many years and now has a government that is listening.

I can also say that the government is delivering these reforms to lower costs for families and businesses but, in particular, the regions now will be a much more attractive place not only to do business, not only to live, but also to visit because those reductions in operating costs—whether it is ESL, whether it is car insurance, whether it is water prices—just bring them onto a par with their city cousins.

So, again, as a state government we are proud to be representing all of South Australia but particularly the regions. I can say that I bet many Victorians wish they could visit regional South Australia and escape the putrid stench of Labor's branch-stacking scandal over in Victoria. What I can say is that South Australia will be a great place to visit if you do live in Victoria, particularly regional South Australia because we know #RegionsMatter.