State Budget

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (14:11): My question is to the Treasurer. Did the Treasurer promise to deliver budget surpluses and, if so, has he kept his promise? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr COWDREY: Before the election, Labor promised, and I quote, 'No new taxes, no tax increases and the state budget will be kept in surplus.' The Treasurer forecast a $233 million surplus in his first budget and a $206 million surplus in the Mid-Year Budget Review, but it was revealed yesterday that the 2022-23 budget will be in deficit to the tune of $249 million, a half-billion dollar turnaround, despite historic additional tax revenue.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer) (14:11): I thank the member for Colton for his question. He is right we committed to no new taxes. He is right we committed to no tax increases. I am interested to hear the member for Colton say that we promised to keep the budget in surplus, because the state budget was—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —in deficit—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Colton! Member for Morialta!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —last financial year, a $829 million deficit. For the member for Colton to claim that the budget is in surplus and it's incumbent on this government to keep the budget in surplus—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —is a furphy.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Badcoe!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It is a furphy, and that was the last of three deficits delivered by the previous Liberal government. Our commitment was to get the budget back into surplus, from deficit—

Members interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —back into surplus. I do wonder—

Members interjecting:

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

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —about the basic grasp of state finances that the member for Colton doesn't seem to have—doesn't seem to have.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: The budget is in deficit. It has been deficit for three years. We made a commitment to bring the budget back into surplus. We were aiming to do it this year and, yes, we won't be doing it this year because we think spending money on providing supports to Riverland communities to help them recover from the floods is important. We think spending additional money on our healthcare system is important. We think providing additional funding to the child protection system is important.

While we have committed more than $600 million of additional expenditure since the Mid-Year Budget Review on those measures, the member for Colton might be interested to see tomorrow that, yes, we have had the benefit of a very strong economy over the last 12 months; yes, we have had the benefit of additional payroll tax, land tax, conveyance duty revenues—

Mr Cowdrey: Where has it gone?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: 'Where has it gone?' he says. Not only can he not grasp the basics of state finances but it seems he can't listen either. He can't listen. Riverland floods, healthcare system, child protection.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: I tell you, we'll be in here with soft puppets next, Mr Speaker, in the efforts to educate the member for Colton. It is extraordinary. He can't get the basis of his question right, won't listen to the answer and ignores the facts.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morialta is warned, the member for Unley is on two warnings and the member for Badcoe is on one warning.