State Liberal Party

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): My question is to the Premier. With Grant Stevens in charge of the state, the Liberal Party state executive in charge of the Liberal Party—

The SPEAKER: Leader, there is a point of order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: The question offends standing order the 97. It contains argument and false argument.

The SPEAKER: I will give the leader an opportunity to rephrase the question.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: My question is to the Premier. What is the Premier actually in charge of? With your leave, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: The police commissioner, Grant Stevens, is in charge of the state. The Premier is not in control of the parliament and the state Liberal Party executive runs the—

The SPEAKER: Leader, point of order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Granting leave is an opportunity for the person asking the question to introduce facts, not argument, so to say that the police commissioner is in charge of the state is blatantly inaccurate.

The SPEAKER: Minister, leave was granted, so I will allow the question, but I will keep very close watch over the matter he phrased.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I will say the question again. What is the Premier actually in charge of? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

The SPEAKER: Just facts, not argument.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Thank you, sir. With Grant Stevens in charge of the state, the Liberal Party state executive—

The SPEAKER: Minister, it's a colloquial expression as to whether Grant Stevens is in charge of those matters, but I will hear you out on the point of order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order: standing order 97 and the fact that leave is an opportunity to introduce fact and not argument. To state that the police commissioner is in charge of the state is inaccurate.

The SPEAKER: I'm going to allow the question. Leader, put the question.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: With the police commissioner in charge of the state, the state Liberal Party executive in charge of the Liberal Party and the crossbench and the opposition in charge of this parliament, what are you in charge of?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:10): What a question! There is plenty that is facing this state at the moment in terms of the coronavirus and in particular the way that we can come out of the coronavirus with as many jobs and as many opportunities for young people as possible. But what we get from the opposition are questions that are obviously politically motivated and filled with inaccuracies right from day one, as we are now becoming accustomed.

The reality is that the police commissioner is the State Coordinator during this major emergency declaration. That is part of the legislation that we have in place, and of course he needs to make application to the cabinet for that on a 28-day basis, which is a cabinet decision and recommendation ultimately to Her Excellency the Governor of South Australia, Frances Adamson AC, who has done an outstanding job already in her new vice-regal role.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Playford is warned.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Right from day one, since this coronavirus emerged—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is warned.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —we have had a coordinated approach with South Australia Police, with SA Health and the entire cabinet and, most importantly, with the people of South Australia, providing them with an evidence-based, facts-based and science-based pathway to deal with the coronavirus. On just about any independently assessed metric whatsoever, South Australia has done well, despite the constant undermining of the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor opposition in South Australia, who love to carp and complain and catastrophise at every single opportunity, but South Australia has done well.

I chair the cabinet and I have to say that it's a very hardworking and dedicated cabinet, dedicated to the people of South Australia, which is delivering for South Australia after 16 years of complete and utter chaos under the previous government.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Take a look at what has been reported this week. When we look at the Deloitte Access Economics report, it's terrible reading for those opposite. It shows South Australia now has the strongest economic growth in the country.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: When we came to power, the 10-year—

Ms Cook interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hurtle Vale is warned.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —average economic growth under those lazy persons opposite was just a pitiful 1 per cent. It's currently 3.6 per cent, the highest in the nation. We've got the best export statistics in the history of the state. We've got more full-time employees than ever before in the history of the state. When we look at business confidence, consumer confidence and investor confidence they are at decade highs in South Australia.

Ms Cook interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hurtle Vale is warned for a second time.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We've got a net migration back to our state. For the first time in three decades, people are wanting to come back here to South Australia and we are now the number one most livable city in the country and the third most livable city in the world, so that's what we have been concentrating on.

I'm looking forward to the next election campaign. I'm looking forward to going to the people of South Australia with our record, focusing on more jobs, lower costs, better services and getting them through the coronavirus—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —compared with what we had with the previous 16 years of dysfunctional Labor administration—maladministration, in fact. It was absolutely hopeless. I'm looking forward to the election campaign. I hope it comes on sooner rather than later.

The SPEAKER: Members to my left and right, the noise in this room is considerable. If it continues, members will be departing today. There are five members who are already on warnings.