Freight Costs

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley) (14:12): Again, my question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Does the minister have a policy to reduce freight costs for South Australian trucking companies and, if so, what is it? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: The recent federal budget increased the heavy road user tax on truckies by 6 per cent, representing a 5.2¢ a litre increase over the next three years.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:12): Again, my young friend is misinformed about the nature of the ITMM conference, which is the governing body of transport ministers nationally. On that body, Liberal ministers agreed to the recommendation of an increase. This is an annual event. But I do say this to my young friend: one of the most important aspects of trying to—

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Hartley!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —reduce freight costs is to actually have a freight strategy. It was startling to me that under the previous government there was no freight strategy. Indeed, we were the only state—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Badcoe! Member for Wright! Member for Hartley!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I understand that we were the only state in the federation not to have a freight strategy. The then shadow treasurer and I thought that it would be nice for us to have a freight strategy, and so we decided that we would introduce a policy to have a freight strategy. Why?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: As powerful as the member for Hartley thinks that I am, from the backbenches of Peake and West Torrens I was unable to have the influence that my young friend thinks that I have.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: The good old turbo days.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, they were the days, weren't they? They were the days, yes. Since we are talking about our youthful days, shall we go into some details? No? Okay, well, we won't. We won't, then. There are some awkward looks—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Florey!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Maybe we won't talk about the 1990s then.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Maybe we won't talk about the early 2000s then. Anyway, we are introducing a freight strategy that will be headed up by Infrastructure SA. It will be a broad grouping of users from concerned industry—people like primary producers, the Freight Council, obviously truck owner-operator companies—to try to work out the best freight strategy for South Australia.

But again these national changes that are reflective of cost recovery were agreed by not only Labor ministers but Liberal ministers. This criticism of the Perrottet government and the Tasmanian government quite frankly shows how isolated the current Speirs opposition is from the rest of the governing Liberal parties that were left in the country.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: Things are going up. Do something about it.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: While the member is shouting at me, 'Do something about inflation,' I do note that the Treasurer has already announced cost relief measures in the budget—

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: He wants to claim the good news but not the bad news.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hartley is warned for a second time.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —that are not inflationary, to do everything we can to try to make sure that we can deal with this. But ultimately roads are to be paid for by someone. I know the member took to the election a policy of charging everyone with electric vehicles a new tax on their vehicles. We abolished that tax.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We abolished their tax.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Florey! Member for Hartley! Member for Hammond!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Quite frankly, sir, I would ask my young friend to think carefully about the questions he asks, lest they end up right back at him.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!