Mulligan Hon. S.C., Resignation

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Police) (14:04): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and you can now see where I get my conduct from in this place. I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Today I announce I am not standing at the coming state election, and I have also resigned from the ministry. I realise that this will come as a surprise to many, and it draws to a close a career in government and parliament, working at senior levels of three Labor governments under premiers Rann, Weatherill and now Peter Malinauskas, spanning more than 22 years. It is with great pride that this term will see me serve as the member for Lee for 12 years and a minister for almost eight.

Being elected in 2014 as the member for Lee, representing the Largs Bay community at that time, where the Mullighan family comes from, meant an enormous amount to me and my family. Over the 12 years I have been in that role, I have tried to deliver as many improvements as possible for my local community as local MP. I have also been very fortunate to serve as a minister in the Weatherill and Malinauskas governments, being only the second Labor MP to go straight into cabinet on their election to parliament.

I have sought to get as much done as possible with these opportunities as well, first as Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and now as Treasurer. Certainly, more recently in the portfolio of Treasury, good government starts with its finances, and we financed our ambitious agenda while getting the budget back into surplus and keeping it in surplus. We have improved our credit rating outlook. We have kept our commitment not to increase taxes or introduce new ones and we have the best performing economy in the nation, and we are regarded as the best place in Australia to do business.

However, these roles do take a toll. They require enormous sacrifices, mainly from our families. All of my significant life events have occurred during my time as an MP, from being a newlywed to starting a family with my wife, Antonia, and now having three beautiful children in Ben, Isaac and Olivia. It is actually they who make the greatest sacrifices. Antonia has made sacrifices with her career to do the heavy lifting at home with the family, and I am nowhere near as present as I would like to be with Ben, Isaac and Olivia. They have been extremely generous in giving me the freedom, support and love to allow me to do these roles over the last 12 years. I feel that I have achieved a lot, and now it is time for me to step back and allow the family the freedom and opportunity that so far has been afforded to me. So I am stepping away from politics and from parliament.

I will not lie, though, the decision comes with regret. The work of an MP and of a minister is never done. It is never complete. There is always more work to do, whether it is supporting our constituents or in our portfolios. It is also a regret not being able to serve with some of the finest South Australians who dedicate themselves to public service. It is an extraordinary privilege to have worked with people like the Under Treasurer, Tammie Pribanic; the Chief Executive of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Rick Persse; and, during the course of this year, the police commissioner, Grant Stevens. But, most of all, I will miss being part of a team that is delivering stable, united, good government for our state.

Despite these regrets, this is the right time for me to go. We have a once-in-a-generation leader in our Premier. He is the best Premier in the nation and not just by head and shoulders. We have a backbench brimming with talent. Me stepping away provides others the opportunity to contribute in the same way I have over the past 12 years in caucus and in cabinet. I have never held aspirations to be a leader or to pursue a long-term career in politics. I have always been a strong believer in getting in, having a crack and getting as much done as possible and then handing over the reins to the next generation. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had throughout my career.

I have had strong supporters the whole way through, starting with the Premier. There are many of us in cabinet and in caucus who are genuine, long-term friends, not just colleagues. First of all, my thanks go to them from the Premier down. I would also like to thank my constituents who have supported me at three successive elections; my electorate office and ministerial office teams who have supported me every step of the way; my colleagues in the broader labour movement, in particular in Labor Unity; and my friends from outside politics who have put up with 12 years of repeated apologies and cancellations due to work commitments. But most of all to my family, to my wife, Antonia, Ben, Isaac and Olivia: they have given me unconditional support and love and I cannot tell them enough how much I love them and how much they mean to me.

The SPEAKER: Again, I would like to add my thanks to the Treasurer for everything that you have done in this place over the years and, in particular, for the people of Mawson who have been recipients of lots of wonderful infrastructure in your time as transport minister and as Treasurer, so thank you again.