Savings Strategies

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (14:26): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer please provide the house with an update on the government's savings strategies and advise if there have been alternative strategies imposed in the past?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer) (14:26): I thought it timely that a question like this have an appropriate response because in the last few days we have had almost the rarest of occurrences here in South Australia: we have had a blood moon, of course, and we have had a question from the deputy leader. The question from the deputy leader was targeted at savings strategies imposed in the arts portfolio. That gave me pause for thought, and clearly also the member for Elder, to wonder what sorts of savings have been imposed in the past.

Of course, in our election commitments, we made it absolutely clear that, in order to defray some of the costs of our agenda, we would be seeking savings from government agencies, but we wouldn't be seeking savings from frontline service delivery agencies. We would make them exempt, and that is what the recent budget did. But that stands in some contrast, of course, to what those opposite handed down in the budgets they brought before this house.

For example, if you were the Minister for Education in the last four years, like the member for Morialta was, there was no exemption for the Department for Education from savings, of course. In fact, the member for Morialta, being a cabinet minister, signed off on three successive budgets that imposed savings of $90 million on the Department for Education. I would have thought that they would have qualified as frontline services and even as I provide this information to the house—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —the member for Morialta seeks to justify the imposition of savings—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —on these frontline services. Of course, when we hear those opposite raise questions about the management of the health portfolio, what they don't mention is that they left $800 million of savings to be imposed across the forward estimates on the health portfolio.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: So, what did we do? What did we do in our first budget? We were—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Colton, order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —left $400 million worth of those savings. We had to take off the burden of the savings—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is warned.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —that they imposed. It's interesting to hear the member for Chaffey arc up about this—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —because what was his record in the primary industries department? Tens of millions—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is called to order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —of dollars of savings—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier is called to order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —in the primary industries portfolio—

Members interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —three times the level of savings that were imposed by this government. When regions matter—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Chaffey is called to order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —it appears that their budget doesn't matter to the member for Chaffey. What actually happened in the arts portfolio? The former member for Dunstan—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —maybe the current member for Dunstan got out the lightsaber when it came to the arts budget, cutting tens of millions of dollars from the arts budget.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Absolutely extraordinary performance—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Florey knows better.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —from those opposite. So when we are in for a true—

Mr TARZIA: Point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is point of order.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens is called to order. I will hear the member for Hartley on a point of order.

Mr TARZIA: Point of order: you have given the minister great latitude. He is not responsible to the house for the actions of former governments.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Florey! The member for Florey is a close study of the standing orders and does know better.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Chaffey! The Treasurer has the call. I will listen carefully. I draw the Treasurer's attention to the question and his responsibility to answer the substance of the question.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: In outlining the alternative saving strategies that we have seen in the past, when we enjoy, as a state, one of those true, rare celestial experiences of a blood moon or even a question from the deputy leader in this place, Mr Speaker—

The SPEAKER: Digression is not to be indulged in, Treasurer. The Treasurer has the call.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —all of us may be well reminded of not only the member for Morialta's performance in imposing swingeing cuts on frontline services—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —frontline services in our schools—

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens is called to order. The member for Morialta on a point of order under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The Treasurer is well aware that schools in fact received record investment and were exempt from every single cut that has been—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! In the clamour, it wasn't possible to deduce the point of order that was raised with me; nevertheless, the commencement of the point of order was, I understood, the outline of a degree of opinion. I also note that the time for the question is about to expire, and I will turn briefly to the Treasurer. If there are more interjections, it may be necessary to grant an additional 15 seconds.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: In conclusion, $90 million worth of cuts to the education portfolio he was responsible for.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: That is most certainly debate. Member for Morialta, you will come to order. The member for Colton has the call.