Address in Reply

Address in Reply

Adjourned debate on motion for adoption (resumed on motion).

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:27): I rise to support this motion and indicate my thanks for the speech with which the Governor opened this parliament. I continue to appreciate the work that the Governor and Mrs Scarce do right around this state. I acknowledge the fact that only recently has he once again been up to an Operation Flinders exercise at Yankaninna and has gone out walking with the young people and slept out with them. I commend him highly for doing that. I have been to Operation Flinders on many occasions and supported them greatly as an ambassador but walking with the kids is not something that I have done. I have done many other activities with the young people up there but I commend the Governor for his capacity and ability to do that.

First, I should offer my congratulations to you, sir, in occupying the position you now hold. I am also pleased to acknowledge the efforts of the previous president, the Hon. Mr John Gazzola. I was always pleased to work with him in his role as president and previously as whip.

I add my welcome to this place to our new members of the Legislative Council: my own colleague, the Hon. Andrew McLachlan, and of course the new whip, the Hon. Tung Ngo, who becomes the fifth Government Whip with whom I have worked. I am enjoying working with Tung. Of those five, he is the second brand-new member of the Legislative Council in a row that I have dealt with, and so far so good. Well done, and I look forward to working with Tung more in the future.

I would particularly like to welcome the new Liberal members in the lower house. Like my colleague the Hon. Michelle Lensink, I had the pleasure of listening to the great majority of the maiden speech this morning by the new member for Mount Gambier, Troy Bell. I had a little bit to do with his campaign and I am very pleased that he is here.

I also welcome the new member for Schubert, Stephan Knoll; the new member for Bright, David Speirs; the new member for Hartley, Vincent Tarzia; and the new member for Mitchell, Corey Wingard. I am pleased to say that for the first time in my parliamentary career, I have Liberal colleagues as the members for Mount Gambier and Mitchell.

Before going on to some of the greater detail in the Governor's speech, I want to refer to one of the former members of parliament who was referred to in that speech. That was the death in November 2013 of Mr Ivon Alfred Wardle, who served as the member for Murray from 1968 to 1977. I am sorry that this council did not get the opportunity to make a condolence motion on Mr Wardle. I think it is a pity that, in recent times, there have been some members of the House of Assembly who have passed away and we have not been given the opportunity to do a condolence motion, so I would like to make some brief remarks about Mr Wardle's service not only to the parliament but to South Australia in this debate.

Mr Wardle was born on 23 March 1919 at Burra. When he was about eight years old, his family moved to Wynarka in the Mallee and they were on a farm there. In the late 1930s, as a young man of only 18, Ivon Wardle felt called to give his life to the ministry of the Methodist Church and he attended theological college. As a relatively young man, he went out ministering in the parishes of Peebinga, Woodville, Wudinna and Mount Gambier during the years 1939 to 1941. He then enlisted in the RAAF and served in Australia and Papua New Guinea with the No. 75 Kittyhawk squadron.

He married Dorothy Briggs in 1941 while ministering at Mount Gambier. After his war service, he was recalled by the Methodist Church and posted to Kulpara. He served as a minister for some time but retired early from that vocation because of the ill-health of his wife. However, in that retirement, he then helped a Pinnaroo farmer in the development of 2,000 acres of scrubland at Coonalpyn. I know that ministers of religion work hard, and I am sure the Hon. Mr Lucas would agree with me, but how the work of clearing 2,000 acres of scrubland was easier work to assist his wife than being a Methodist minister, I am not sure.

Following on from that period, Ivon Wardle actually moved into local government. He became the District Clerk and overseer of works at the District Council of Meningie and in later years he went on to become Deputy Town Clerk at Murray Bridge. He also became extraordinarily involved in the community in Murray Bridge.

In 1968 Ivon was elected to the Parliament of South Australia as the Liberal and Country League member for Murray. He had a very large swing and won the seat from the ALP, allowing Steele Hall to form government. He served on a number of committees in his time in the parliament, and I was interested to note that he was actually granted a three-month scholarship in 1974 to visit 20 countries to study new cities in the anticipation of the creation of a new city, Monarto, in the Murray electorate. Those of us with a strong political history will remember that proposed new city which I think initially was actually called Murray before they decided to use the word Monarto. Unfortunately, of course, it never came to fruition.

Ivon Wardle served four parliamentary terms until the electorate was divided four ways in the redistribution of 1977. While he still wanted to run for the seat of Murray, basically the seat was largely dominated by more of the Hills area of the state rather than the Murraylands section. This, of course, coincided with the time of the amalgamation of the Liberal and Country League with the Liberal Movement.

I was familiar with a similar situation closer to my home where more than one seat had been amalgamated and there was a member from each of the Liberal Movement and the LCL who wanted to run in that area, and so the one that did not win the preselection was allowed to run as an unendorsed Liberal rather than as an Independent, as described by the Speaker in the lower house. I think it is important to know that Mr Wardle ran as an unendorsed Liberal and not an Independent.

Mr David Wotton, the endorsed Liberal, did win that seat and so Ivon Wardle left parliament, and he actually moved into another phase of his interesting life. After politics, he became the assistant administrator for Resthaven Homes and continued as chairman of the Resthaven board after retiring in 1981. He returned to fill a two-year vacancy at Resthaven and retired for a second time 8½ years later. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1995 for service to parliament, the community, the Uniting Church and aged care.

After the death of his wife Dorothy in 1998, he later married a long-time acquaintance, Fay Bailey of Mount Gambier, in 2004. On behalf of Liberal members, I would like to put on record in this debate not only our sympathy but also our recognition of the work of Ivon Wardle in this parliament and also in a range of other vocations and, as members would have heard, in a range of locations around this state.

I was very pleased that in the Governor's speech there was quite a significant reference to mental health, but particularly to suicide. As you, Mr President, and members well know, suicide prevention is a passion of mine and a portfolio responsibility that I hold. The Governor did say that the rate of suicide in South Australia is unacceptable, and in rural areas the rates are significantly worse than those of metropolitan areas. He goes on to express how disturbing it is to consider the amount of depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses that exists in what I suppose we would normally describe as prosperous, safe communities. The reference in that sentence is specifically referring to young people. I am the first to recognise that there is a significant amount of suicide happening in rural areas and to young people, but as I have said recently it is right across society. I think for us to put it just into rural areas and young people, or older men, as is quite often said, is dangerous. We need to treat this as an all of society issue.

The Governor mentioned the work of the newly flagged Mental Health Commission. I am very hopeful that that commission will work with and assist the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, which is doing very good work with minimal resources to roll out the government suicide prevention strategy. I think what we need to do is to do more to help a vast array of groups that are out there, largely with little or no funding. I thought it might be helpful to go through a number of the groups that are working either in the area of suicide prevention or with people who are affected by a suicide or an attempted suicide.

The danger of going through and listing some of these groups is that you miss some out. There is a vast number, and I am going to list some of them now. It started off in a geographical sense in the former home town of the Hon. Mr Lucas and went north. I had quite a bit to do with the terrific people at Lifeline South East, who have had a very strong role in the development of the Mount Gambier Suicide Prevention Network, and I commend the Limestone Coast LSA of SAPOL for its strong involvement in that work in the South-East.

I note that Lifeline South East has also been involved in the development of the Naracoorte mental health round table. I met with the mayor of Naracoorte Lucindale last week. There will be a suicide prevention forum in Naracoorte on 12 August, and I will be in attendance at that forum. I was pleased to be involved in the launch of the Murray Bridge Suicide Prevention Network last year. The ongoing work of that group is exceptional, and certainly the Rural City of Murray Bridge is to be commended for its support.

Also at Murray Bridge is a group called Silent Ripples, which specifically deals with the families of people bereaved by suicide, and along with the Rural City of Murray Bridge developed the marvellous memorial garden overlooking the old original bridge over the Murray, where people who have been bereaved by suicide can go to remember those they have lost in this manner.

Last Wednesday evening I was privileged to go to the launch of the Sedan suicide prevention awareness program, held in the small Murraylands town of Sedan, with sponsorship from the Mannum men's watch group, two local ministers and also the Mid Murray Council. One of the groups that presented at that program was the organisation called Ski for Life, which raises money for men's mental health and suicide prevention with an annual skiing event going from Renmark down to, I think, first Murray Bridge, but the second time I think they went as far as Wellington. I have also been heavily involved with the Strathalbyn and Community Suicide Prevention Network, which started off with assistance from Wesley LifeForce in Sydney. Since then they have developed their own leadership and have been doing some terrific work in that community.

The Community Response to Eliminating Suicide (CORES) group is one I have mentioned in this place many times, and I am proud to say that I have had a lot to do with the establishment of those programs on Eyre Peninsula and in the Riverland. The Riverland chapter is extraordinarily active still. I was only reading something recently about a further suicide prevention program, which will be held in Loxton shortly by that group.

In Port Augusta I have been privileged to work with the Suicide Intervention Life Preservation Action Group (SILPAG), and I know the member for Stuart has given them great support in that community, which is particularly important because of the large Aboriginal population there. We know, unfortunately, that the suicide prevalence in that community is far higher than in the rest of society.

In my own home town I have been pleased to be involved in the launch of the Gawler Suicide Prevention Community Group and continue to attend those monthly meetings as often as I can. A lot of those networks and community groups that have been set up through the work of the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist. Initially they put in a lot of effort developing their own action plan that suits the community they serve. Another that has just been developed is the City of Playford Suicide Prevention Community Network, and that city council has a very strong track record of working in this area, going back a number of years ago when I attended a forum run jointly with Rotary in that city, when 300 people were in attendance.

Also in the northern suburbs we have the Northern Suicide Bereavement Support Group, which does important work. I have also been privileged to speak to a number of groups that are not specifically designed around suicide prevention but are very keen to tap into anybody providing assistance in that area. One of those groups is the Northern Carers Network. I have also been pleased to visit Neami National at Elizabeth and see the work that that organisation is doing with mental health clients, many of whom have come out of facilities such as Glenside, and they are very involved in getting those people back into the community, into employment and into voluntary work as well.

Just going through a number of other groups: the Mental Health Activity and Resource Centre and the One Voice Network. Another I have had an enormous amount of involvement with is Minimisation of Suicide Harm (MOSH), an organisation started by a wonderful lady, Jill Chapman, who lost her son to suicide, and her response has been to do everything she can to make sure any people who suffer a loss from suicide do not have to go through as much of the anguish as she did without support. MOSH is a terrific organisation.

Anglicare is very involved in this space. I think a number of people have heard of the Living Beyond Suicide program. They have also recently launched A Cry for Help, and I went to the launch of that in St Peter's Cathedral recently. A Cry for Help is about helping the people who have attempted suicide and been unsuccessful and, of course, their families, as they all grapple with the results of that.

Obviously, Uniting Communities play a particular role in the area, particularly through Lifeline Adelaide but in other ways as well. I think Lifeline is one of those groups that comes to mind when people are thinking about those who need urgent assistance with mental health or if they are thinking of taking their own life.

Of course, I have supported the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal for many years, but their work in suicide prevention is probably not as well known even though they have been in the space for over 100 years. Their Hope for Life—Lifekeeper Memory Quilt is a very good reminder of the unfortunate loss that we suffer in this state, and particularly brought home to me a couple of years ago the number of families who have lost more than one member to suicide.

I have also had some involvement with the Mental Illness Fellowship South Australia. I was a speaker at the group Grandparents for Grandchildren. They were very interested to learn about, I suppose, the greater readiness within the community to talk about these issues. Only today, I have had a call from someone I met at that group about assisting someone who they think is under great threat.

The emphasis on young people in the mental health area, and particularly those at risk of suiciding, is often related back to the services that are available in an online fashion. There are three in particular, that are based in South Australia, that I have been involved with. One is In 2 Life. The others are TalkLife and ReachOut.com.

The first two are sort of in a Facebook style, I think, where they allow people to have a conversation with some trained people at the other end about their issues and have that conversation in a way that suits the young people of the day. Many of us in this place would probably prefer face-to-face conversation, but that is the way it is done with a lot of the younger generation. ReachOut.com is another one that has been around for quite a while now and is well regarded.

There are many other organisations that I could mention, but I just thought it was worth putting on the record that those organisations and many others largely operate without any government assistance. There are some that get some small government assistance, but the great majority of them operate on volunteers and on local fundraising, and I think we need to turn our eye towards providing more assistance for those groups. I say that because I have also organised forums on suicide prevention in the electorates of Giles, Florey, Newland, Little Para, Taylor, Napier, Hartley, Fisher, Mitchell and Light, and I think there is great potential for many more of these to be held and for the follow-up to happen.

So I say to the government—and I know I have moved a motion in this house which emphasises some of this as well—that I think it is very important that the terrific work that has been done by the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist be added to, because there is only one person trying to roll-out the government strategy across the whole of South Australia at the moment. That lady, Lynne James, is doing a wonderful job, but we need to provide some help.

In conclusion, there was one other reference in the Governor's speech that I wanted to note. The Governor referred to the fact that regional South Australia accounts for about 20 per cent of the state's population but contributes more than half of South Australia's overseas exports. That is a very accurate reflection of South Australia, and I will always be proud of what regional South Australia does in terms of exports and economic activity. However, I think it is about time that we became realistic about trying to make sure that the population of regional South Australia grows and becomes more than 20 per cent.

I suppose that for many years I have railed against the ongoing development of South Australia as a city state. I drive around this state a lot and I see some terrific communities that have, in some cases, ageing infrastructure but, in many cases, excellent infrastructure upon which population growth could be based. It is something we need to think about, because most of the other states have a quite large number of significant urban centres outside the metropolitan area. In South Australia we have Mount Gambier and Whyalla as cities of over 20,000, and then we have a number of regional centres of between 10,000 and 20,000. We have no significant centres above perhaps that 25,000 figure; however, there are many other medium to small centres that I think we need to focus on, and we have the ability to do that.

I hope that the government, with its renewed focus on the regions as part of its agreement with the member for Frome, will have a serious look at the development of our population in addition to the growth of Adelaide; that we get growth back out into the regions so that we can make the population in our regions more than one-fifth of the total population. With those words I commend the motion on the Address in Reply to the house.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (16:58): I also rise to support the motion, and thank Lewis O'Brien for his welcome. I also thank the Governor for his speech of 6 May on the opening of the parliament. Having read his speech, I too wish to note the passing of a former governor and seven former members of parliament.

I also note, from the Governor's speech, that the government will reform the existing WorkCover scheme so that it works effectively for both workers and employers and 'will also protect and enhance the wellbeing of the most seriously injured at work and will hold a clearer focus on recovery, retraining and return to work for those less seriously injured'. Changes to WorkCover will be subject to scrutiny and debate in this place in the not too distant future. I also note in the Governor's speech that:

To govern effectively in a democracy, it is vital that people are confident that decisions are made for the right reasons.

We must therefore act to ensure that political donations are modest, transparent and offer no guarantee of influence on matters of public policy. My government will act so that any perception of impropriety is not hidden in the shadows—and we will deal decisively with those who have sought to benefit personally from corrupt practices. To strengthen our democracy, all political parties must act to ensure that their internal processes are transparent and democratic.

I note in a current survey of ALP members:

One of the main points to take out of the 2014 Vision for Australia Survey of Labor supporters is the importance of substantial engagement with supporters on the issues of policy and representation. Supporters frequently highlighted their desire to engage with Labor in terms of policy discussion, and choosing their elected representatives.

I also wish to acknowledge the contribution of former members of this place: the Hon. Ann Bressington, the Hon. Mr Sneath, and the Hon. Carmel Zollo. I wish to congratulate and welcome the Hon. Andrew McLachlan and the Hon. Tung Ngo on their election to this place. I also wish to congratulate the Hon. Mr Maher on his re-election to this place against all predictions that Labor would not hold a fourth spot. The Hon. Mr Maher came to this place because the then president (the Hon. Mr Sneath) retired, creating a casual vacancy. In his first speech in this place, the Hon. Mr Maher said about me, and I quote:

Firstly, I would like to congratulate you, Mr President, on your recent elevation to the role, replacing the Hon. Bob Sneath in the chair; you have big shoes to fill—literally, as I think his are about five sizes bigger than yours. But, having known you for many years, your fairness, good humour, and virtually unlimited patience will see you preside over this chamber with distinction and wisdom per se.

About six months prior to the election a very dejected Hon. Mr Maher had all but given up hope. Now the Hon. Mr Maher is a parliamentary secretary on his way to a ministry. As a member of the left faction, the Hon. Mr Maher will have to be quite creative in how and with whose support he becomes a minister. I reject the Hon. Rob Lucas' assertion that there has been a major falling out between the honourable member and me. The Hon. Mr Maher is the future and a member of new Labor, whereas I am old Labor which valued loyalty and collectivism.

Almost to the date I have been a member of the Legislative Council for just over 12 years. I have served on many parliamentary standing committees, select committees, acted as whip and, in October 2012, honourable members of the Legislative Council appointed me president. So, in just over 12 years, I started on the back bench as a part of a minority Labor government and now, again, I find myself on the back bench in a minority Labor government.

On 29 April this year, I decided to stand down as the president of the Legislative Council effective close of business 5 May. I did not wish to undermine the stability of the minority Jay Weatherill government. In standing down as president, I acknowledged the pressure that the member for Frome, minister Geoff Brock, was under following the election to form a minority government and I respect his decision to provide stability for South Australia. I also wish to acknowledge the member for Fisher, Dr Bob Such, for his kind words and support and understanding of the situation I was placed in. I, too, wish Dr Such all the best for the future and look forward to his return to parliament.

I read in the media that to replace me as the president was part of a complex factional deal. I am still awaiting some explanation about why I had to stand down other than the right's dominant numbers within the party. Neither I, nor members of the left faction have had any explanation or consultation about this alleged complex factional deal. This is of some concern to members of the faction and many members of the ALP as they wait to see the details of the deal with the right and how it may impact on MPs' careers and possible future preselections.

In my situation there was no consultation, no discussion, no negotiation and no ham and pineapple pizza. I did enjoy my short time as the president and standing up for the independence and sovereignty of the Legislative Council. I was certainly humbled by the support from honourable members present and past of all sides of politics, both publicly and privately, over the last six weeks. I wish to seek leave to table a copy of my letter of resignation to the Clerk dated 5 May 2014.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA: In that letter I thank the Clerk and her staff for their support and professionalism in the way that they assist members to maintain the dignity, integrity, protocols and practices of the Legislative Council. I wish to contrast that against the actions and advice of the Clerk in the other place.

Much will be said over the next 12 months about the 15 March 2014 election. Indeed, there is a motion to form a select committee which will examine the conduct of the election. The opposition will make the claims of being robbed once again and suffering from a dirty tricks campaign. I especially wish to pay tribute to the Hon. Steph Key, member for Ashford, and her campaign team and volunteers who defied all predictions and the odds on a stunning victory. My local member, the Hon. Paul Caica, member for Colton, ran an impressive and hard-fought campaign and won. Had it not been for these two—to state the obvious—we would not have formed a minority government.

I wish to thank the rank and file ALP members for their support and acknowledge the hard work in securing an election result that has defied all the predictions. I have been a member of the Labor Party for the last 28 years and I am excited to hear of the reform and modernisation of the party. I could not be a part of the reform if I maintained the president's position in the Legislative Council which would have led to my expulsion from the party.

Sir, normally I would congratulate you on becoming the President of the Legislative Council. Given the circumstances and by the mere fact that you became the President through a secret factional deal it is difficult for me to wish you well in your role. I have been asked by members to assist you and advise you in your new role. The only advice I will be offering you in public is that you stand up for the independence and sovereignty of the Legislative Council.

I also look forward to your response in this place to the Hon. David Ridgway's allegations, raised in his speech of 2011, and to assist you in your response I also ask that you research the speech made by the Hon. Angus Redford in July 1995 on your activities in your role as a union official where he stated:

In particular, I draw members' attention to the fact that Mr Dan Moriarty and Mr Russell Wortley, on every occasion that their duty to their own self interest and their duty to anybody else for whom they are expected and trusted to act conflicted, have erred on the side of self-interest.

Sir, I have known you for many years and whilst I may not completely agree with the Hon. Mr Redford's and the Hon. Ridgway's assertions, over time I have formed my own view that you are a parasite and an embarrassment to the labour movement. The final advice, given your record as a minister, would be that you should resign as President of the Legislative Council.

Finally, let there be no doubt that the Jay Weatherill minority government is united in that the right's dominance over policy and positions and a substantially weakened, almost to the point of irrelevant progressive left, gives the right almost free rein over the government's agenda. I commend the motion to you.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:07): I rise to support the adoption of the Address in Reply given by His Excellency the Governor to open the First Session of the Fifty-Third Parliament on 6 May 2014. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate His Excellency and express my gratitude to the Governor and Mrs Scarce on their upcoming seventh year of commitment to the South Australian community. I see them regularly at many functions and community events. They have conducted an outstanding service and demonstrate a high level of respect and courtesy to the people of this state.

I am delighted to also welcome two new members to this chamber. Congratulations to the Hon. Andrew McLachlan, who is a great addition to the Liberal team, and I also welcome the Hon. Tung Ngo MLC who has already been elevated to become Government Whip. Congratulations to both of you on your successful election. In addition, I would also like to acknowledge all my colleagues who were re-elected to this chamber, especially the Hon. Michelle Lensink, the Hon. Rob Lucas and the Hon. John Dawkins. I offer my congratulations to Russell Wortley as the new President. I particularly want to express my gratitude and thanks to the Hon. John Gazzola for his excellent leadership as the former president of this chamber.

We all worked extremely hard leading up to the state election of 15 March 2014. The Liberal Party had some exceptional candidates and I thank all of them for their commitment to the campaign and their strong interest in serving the people of South Australia. Some other honourable members have already mentioned the use of dirty tricks in the campaign and I just want to quickly mention my endorsement for Caroline Habib because I feel that her campaign was definitely undermined by racist tactics, and I do not believe that any form of racism should be tolerated by the parliament or by the people of South Australia.

The Hon. T.A. Franks: Or bigotry. It is not racism, necessarily; I think it is bigotry.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Well, to endorse that one, too, the Hon. Tammy Franks. While the election did not deliver the results we expected, I am incredibly proud of the overwhelming support of the whole electorate. I am delighted to welcome the following Liberal members in the House of Assembly. They are Mr David Speirs (member for Bright), Mr Vincent Tarzia (member for Hartley), Mr Corey Wingard (member for Mitchell), Mr Troy Bell (member for Mount Gambier) and Mr Stephan Knoll (member for Schubert) who took over the reins from the ever-so-colourful retired member, Mr Ivan Venning. These wonderful new members all come from different backgrounds with a wealth of experience. They will be excellent representatives for their electorates and I am confident that they will be great contributors to parliament and our state.

The opening of parliament was an important ceremonial event. As we know, the office of the Governor is non-political and is quite distinct from that of the head of the elected government. Especially, the Governor's role is to safeguard the South Australian constitution by securing the orderly transition from one government to the next and facilitating the work of the parliament and the work of the state.

The Governor, in his opening speech, outlined the government's agenda by reading a document carefully prepared in advance by the Premier and the Weatherill Labor government. My comments in replying to the Governor's address are not a reflection on the Governor but an assessment of the government. I congratulate the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Steven Marshall, in the other place on his most insightful Address in Reply speech.

I agree with the state Liberal leader that we were keen to get back to parliament after the March election. We were ready to listen to the Governor's speech with the hope of a bold vision to be outlined by the Labor government. Unfortunately, the government's agenda contained much of the same as was delivered at the last session of the 52^nd parliament. It repeated the seven Labor priorities again with not much on offer to the people of South Australia.

After 12 years of Labor, the state is now set for another four years of a tired and deeply divided government with no new ideas and no bold vision to fix the economy, to create jobs or to address important issues faced by our community. The Governor said:

My government has started to build a stronger South Australia. The physical changes evident in our city of Adelaide have inspired a fresh sense of optimism.

A fresh sense of optimism, Mr President, really? No doubt we can see many physical changes happening in the city. The question is: who helped Premier Weatherill to build the city and deliver these projects. You would think that the person will be rewarded by doing a great job. Guess what? What a shock to us all! The Premier's way of showing his appreciation is to put the head of his chief executive Rod Hook on the chopping block.

By giving Mr Hook just 24 hours to pack his things, how on earth did Premier Weatherill inject any sense of optimism for Mr Hook, his department or the South Australian community? In a detailed interview with the Sunday Mail, Rod Hook explained Labor's big build agenda re-election campaign that was centred on the transport and infrastructure department's work. Mr Hook said:

I reckon they got re-elected because of so many of the things we did well on including the footy and taking people home (from games). If those things weren't working there might have been a few people who voted another way.

The Governor's speech also outlined that citizens are not convinced that the policy is designed with their best interest in mind. This suggests an urgent need to reform our democracy. Yes, we must definitely address the issues on electoral reform. The South Australian election delivered an unbelievable and unexpected result for South Australia. This is despite 53 per cent of South Australian people voting for the Liberal Party, which is equivalent to approximately 92,000 more people wanting a Liberal government. Political commentators and journalists have reported that there is nowhere else in the country where a 53 per cent two-party preferred vote would not translate into a clear victory.

The Liberal Party has an action plan to put South Australia back on track, but our current electoral system has failed to deliver a new government, even when a majority of people voted for change. Any reasonable person would be questioning whether or not there is something wrong with our electoral system. How can we have an electoral system where South Australians keep voting for the Liberal Party to form government and are not getting the result they want?

South Australia is an amazing state with much to offer, but in comparison with the other mainland states South Australia has the lowest rate of business start-up. Businesses are finding it too difficult to cover the costs of higher taxes to meet the increasing rate take and excess charges under Labor. Australia comprises six states and two territories, which combine to make up the world's sixth largest country by total area. As the shadow parliamentary secretary for small business and trade, I am fully aware that businesspeople are keeping a close watch on how our state is performing compared to the other states and territories.

Most of us would know that each quarter CommSec analyse eight key indicators, including economic growth, retail spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements, to find out how each state and territory is performing. The result of CommSec's quarterly State of the States report released in April 2014 was a very sad story for South Australia. Believe it or not, South Australia is ranked not two, three, four or five—it is at number seven. The report has ranked South Australia behind all other mainland states, adding that the outlook remains challenging for the local economy. This further demonstrates why South Australia needs a government with a bold vision.

Confidence is essential for everything. Businesses with confidence will invest and create jobs; people with confidence will spend money and keep the economy going strong. Sadly, under Premier Weatherill and Labor, South Australia is suffering under the worst business conditions and confidence in the nation. Premier Weatherill needs to explain why South Australia is falling behind the rest of the country after 12 years of his Labor government.

Furthermore, the joint Property Council and ANZ Property Industry survey (released also in April 2014) shows that South Australia recorded the largest fall in property industry confidence in the nation. The survey shows that all respondents recorded the worst perception about the South Australian economy in the previous quarter and the worst expectations about the future of the economy over the next 12 months. In a further blow to Premier Weatherill and his Labor government, respondents reported that compared with other states of Australia, the South Australian Labor government was doing the worst job of managing growth. In the opening speech, the Weatherill government mentioned:

Our economy depends heavily on our capacity to retain our brightest minds and attract talented professionals from interstate and overseas. But they need more than a great place to live—they need a great job.

Well, hello—yes, of course people need jobs. Unfortunately, after 12 years of Labor, South Australia is in the midst of a jobs crisis. Unemployment in South Australia has hit its highest level since 2001.

As the shadow parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs, I know there are multiple reasons why people leave their home countries and migrate to South Australia. Having a financially secure future is one of them. When people can see a clear picture from an economics point of view, people migrate to gain financial stability and better future prospects. But from February to March the unemployment rate jumped almost half a per cent to 7.1 per cent and trails only Tasmania across the country. On some measures, South Australian unemployment even exceeds Tasmania's, threatening to make Adelaide the nation's unemployment capital. It is not something we are proud of.

The Governor's speech stated that the government would reduce red tape, keep business costs as low as possible and improve access to self-help information tools. I certainly hope that they are serious about this. So far, the Labor government has failed to create a regulatory and economic environment that allows new or existing businesses to grow and prosper. Under Labor, businesses are being strangled by red tape. There is far too much government bureaucracy and regulation that serves as cost on business. It has not been easy or cost-effective for the private sector to start new ventures, grow new business or employ more people.

More than ever, South Australia needs a government with vision and bold ideas to improve our economic productivity. Regardless of where you look, the economic report card is horrendous for the state Labor government. South Australia's economic future is looking bleak. These figures and statements are clear examples of a tired and lazy government. South Australia needs strong economic reform urgently.

I hope the government will implement our regional development policy by working together with the member for Frome. I also hope the government will adopt our expanded focus on trade. During the election, the Premier said that he would adopt the Liberals' trade strategy with a special focus on South-East Asia. Disappointingly, the Premier did not follow through with this strategy, although our policy was very well received by a broad base of stakeholders and business owners.

We want to grow our exports, which is why we established a trade policy that focused on seven identified regions, unlike the government, which has a limited focus on exports. Investing more into our exporting industry will benefit South Australia and our business owners in the long term. We know that if we sell goods and services interstate and overseas we are generating a new income stream and bringing extra money back into our economy.

The Labor Party has luckily formed a minority government with the support of the member for Frome, but with only one seat holding the government in power. Opposition members of parliament have a duty to our voters to play the role of an alternative government. One of the final remarks from the Governor was that the government will govern for all South Australians and restore their sense of financial and physical security, their aspirations and their wellbeing. I hope these aspirations will be honoured and delivered.

I know that the Liberal Party stands ready and will do everything we have in our power to ensure South Australians are protected and given the opportunities they rightly deserve. After 12 years of Labor mismanagement, sadly South Australians will have to suffer another four years under a wasteful, incompetent and divided Labor government. South Australian families and businesses are suffering under the pressure of the nation's highest taxes and highest utility prices, falling business confidence and rising unemployment.

Please allow me to use a Chinese proverb which says, 'Failure is the mother of success'. In simple terms, it means that every failure you experience is a chance to learn and find success. Knowing what does not work is just as important as finding out what does work. The Labor government really needs to have a long hard look at its poor performance. The united Liberal opposition will put the Labor government under the microscope. We will continue to expose failures and mismanagement under the Labor government. With those remarks, I commend the motion to the chamber and look forward to serving the South Australian community.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. R.I. Lucas.

At 17:24 the council adjourned until Wednesday 21 May 2014 at 14:15.