Household Water Bills

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:19): My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier rule out any further government increases to household water bills?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:19): Another question from the Leader of the Opposition that invites a bit of compare and contrast on housing water policy. So what did you do in government? What did the Leader of the Opposition do when he sat around the cabinet table? He cut water prices and ran around to South Australians telling them, 'You're going to vote for us because we're the people who cut water prices.' Well, look young South Australians in the eye and explain to them why they are experiencing a housing supply crisis—because you made a virtue, you thought it was clever politics, you thought it was clever policy—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert and the member for Morialta are on your final warnings.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: You thought it was clever politics and policy to cut off water infrastructure policy, to be damned to any future young South Australian who wants to have a home, to be damned with housing supply in the future. 'We're going to make a virtue of telling everybody who already owns a home the benefits of cutting investment in water infrastructure in this state,' and you thought it was a vote-winning strategy. It turned out that didn't turn out to really work in your favour, but now you stand up and criticise this government that is honest—honest about the difficult decisions that we are making to invest in water infrastructure to unlock housing supply.

Now what has been the response to that policy? The Leader of the Opposition has made it clear that South Australians have a choice at the next election. They have a choice at the next election: we can go back to cutting off water infrastructure investment and driving down housing supply, but if South Australians care about the housing crisis, if South Australians want their kids not to be living at home until they are 40, then they only have one option at the next election and that is to vote Labor, because you are going to wind back water infrastructure investment and we are going to keep on delivering it.

We don't see this as a political virtue, we see this as a moral imperative because there is a lot at stake if this country doesn't turn on water infrastructure and, in turn, housing supply for young generations. We are not going to look our kids in the eye on this side of the aisle and say, 'We are going to cut water prices to impress baby boomers at the expense of young people being able to own a home.'

It is absolutely critical that we do not generate more intergenerational inequity economically through depriving young families and young people of an opportunity for home ownership or affordable rents if they are not in a position to harness the capital for home ownership. So housing supply is the answer and water infrastructure is absolutely essential to be able to deliver that. Without the water, you don't get the home, and you don't get the water unless you invest in the infrastructure. You want to cut it, we are going to invest in it—at least we are honest about how we are going to pay for it.