Grievance Debate

State Economy

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:02): Unfortunately, today it was a double dose of bad news for our state, with fees and charges increasing for the third year running by the Malinauskas Labor government and, unfortunately, South Australia's unemployment rate rising by 0.3 per cent to 4.2 per cent, to again be the highest in the nation. If I first turn to fees and charges, it was today confirmed that the Malinauskas government will again add to the cost-of-living crisis in South Australia by upping fees and charges, like licence renewals and car registrations. This comes despite the average South Australian family being more than $20,000 a year worse off since this government was elected.

Over every source of expenditure in a household budget, it has only gone in one direction and that is up, and the Malinauskas government has just added to that again. Again, these fee increases come despite record taxation revenue. Whether that be payroll tax, stamp duty or GST, we are now talking about revenue increases in the billions. In fact, another significant revision with additional GST money was announced in the federal budget earlier this week, and all in the face of a treasurer who in his earliest days in the job committed publicly on radio that he would step in, that he would step away from the standard Treasury indexation rate system if South Australians really needed it. If South Australians were facing cost-of-living pressures, he would step in. What have we seen? Three consecutive years of fees and charges increases from this government. It is plain to see now that those were just words—plain, empty words.

To unemployment, sadly again it is the highest in the nation under Labor at 4.2 per cent. ABS data shows that over 30,000 full-time jobs have been lost in our state since June last year—30,000 full-time jobs wiped out. Clearly, the last Mullighan budget was not a budget that supported business and full-time job creation. It was not a full-time job creator; it was a full-time job eliminator. While the unemployment rate may have been lower across February and March during the festival season, the stark reality of the state of the business environment in the state became clear this month in April. I outlined to the house in my supply contribution the long and growing list of hospitality businesses sadly unable to keep their doors open. That crisis continues to worsen and continues to widen. It is not just hospitality businesses now, with FIVEaa reporting this morning that Vadoulis Garden Centre is set to close.

How do jobs get created? Jobs get created by supporting and providing business with the best environment possible. And what is this government doing? The complete opposite of that. They are raising costs for business. They have increased electricity prices for business. We have IR laws that the South Australian Business Chamber say small business does not even understand. They have been raising fees and charges. They have been keeping thresholds stable despite significant inflation. On top of this, it has been revealed this week in question time that we have small businesses in South Australia, those doing it the absolute toughest, who have been unable to access electricity rebates nearly a year after being announced by this government.

We have an Economic Recovery Fund and grants that are just in the slow lane. 'Recovery' implies that getting on and doing this quickly would be important. If it is a recovery grant, you would think the money would want to be out the door helping business, but instead it is revealed that they have been sitting, sitting, sitting. The Treasurer will not even tell us how many businesses have benefited from the fund. This government talks a big game, but when it comes to delivery, they are stuck in a Californian traffic jam.