Question Time

State Budget

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:34): My question is to the Premier. Will the state budget include cost-of-living relief for South Australian homeowners? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: Last week, it was revealed that South Australians will be forced to absorb the highest increase to electricity prices in the nation, including up to $512 for households and $1,310 for small businesses.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:34): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question because cost of living is clearly a topical matter at the moment in the lives of every South Australian regardless of their background, but that is particularly true for people on fixed and low incomes, which is why the government has very deliberately focused its policy efforts to provide assistance to those in our community who need it most.

There are a number of measures that the government has already delivered since our election last year, not least of which is doubling the Cost of Living Concession, which has been well documented—payments that were made to South Australians throughout spring last year. In addition to that, there have been other more modest measures that nonetheless have a real-world impact, such as providing free public transport 24/7 for people with a Seniors Card.

But, in terms of this year's state budget, to the Leader of the Opposition question, the government has already announced the largest energy concession relief in the history of South Australia: $500 in an energy concession payment made to 400,000 households across the state. In addition to that, there is a $650 payment to small businesses in South Australia.

In terms of the $500 payment to households, those 400,000 households, the largest number that we are aware of for a state government concession of this nature, it applies not just to people with commonwealth concession cards but also to people on Family Tax Benefit A and B. The government spent a long time seeking to calibrate this massive energy concession in such a way as to have as broad an impact as possible with a particular focus on those who need it most in our community.

What I will also note is that for many households, when you take the price increase in respect of electricity and then take the energy concession, the energy concession ends up being greater than the size of the electricity bill increase. For many households in our state, they will actually in fact—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —enjoy a reduction in their electricity bill rather than an increase. This is a well thought-through—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member from Morphett, order! Member for Hammond!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: This is a well thought-through, calibrated package that we have developed in conjunction with the federal government—50 per cent contributed from the commonwealth, 50 per cent contributed from the state.

But we said from the outset that, as a government, where we are going to take tens of millions of dollars—in this case, well in excess of $150 million—of taxpayers' funds out of the state budget and put it into households, we will focus, as people would reasonably expect the Labor government to do, on providing that benefit to those in our community who need it most. Of course, that is in conjunction with other measures that the state government has already taken.

We of course also remain committed to make other interventions, where we see it is appropriate, in the energy market to try to have a positive impact on prices as we speak. Reasonable people understand that ever since privatisation has occurred in this state we are subject—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —to what happens in global energy markets. If anyone is looking for a contrast in what a privatised system looks like versus what a government-owned system looks like, they need only look at the operation of the National Electricity Market versus what occurs in Western Australia.