Shop Trading Hours

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): I wasn't going to ask a further supplementary, but given the provocation—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: No, I am allowing the supplementary.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Will the government be putting in any support whatsoever for businesses that they hurt through their shop trading hours deregulation?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:31): The policies the Marshall Liberal government are implementing will be all there to support small, medium and large businesses in South Australia in terms of the growth. So that will be the assistance, that will be the help. There will be no small business in South Australia that will actually pay payroll tax under the reforms of the Marshall Liberal government. There will be no small business—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Most of these small businesses don't pay payroll tax, Rob—they don't pay it now.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Well, the Hon. Mr Hunter says small businesses don't pay payroll tax. Give me a break!

The Hon. K.J. Maher: 'So, if we hurt you, you're stuffed, you're on your own. We'll do something, it'll hurt you and you're on your own.'

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Most of them don't pay. Most of them aren't big enough. Most of them don't employ enough staff to pay payroll tax.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: In what parallel universe does the Hon. Mr Hunter live? He says there isn't a small business in the state that pays payroll tax—give me a break! Get out in the real world, Mr Hunter. Instead of that cardboard caricature cut-out that The Advertiser uses to try to get you into the real world, get out into the real world, talk to some businesses in South Australia. That sort of nonsensical, out of the order interjection, Mr President—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: What about a shop that employs ten people?

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —is indicative of why the Labor Party was thrown out of office on 17  March this year.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You just stand up for the big guys.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the Treasurer speak.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You just stand up for Coles and Woolies.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The opposition, stop the commentary.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Minister for Tourism, please cease riling up the opposition. The Treasurer is on his feet.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Leave that to me, Mr President. That's my job.

The PRESIDENT: Well, you are on your feet, Treasurer.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I am on my feet, so I have the lawful authority to rile up the opposition. That is the reason why the Hon. Mr Hunter, the Hon. Mr Maher and others were thrown out of office. They have no understanding of the real world of business, and the pain and hurt that their policies imposed on small business in South Australia. The Marshall Liberal government is going to abolish payroll tax for all small businesses in South Australia.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You think a shop with 10 staff pays payroll tax, do you?

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: We have seen the reduction of workers compensation premiums. We will be tackling the issue of utility costs in South Australia. We are looking at deregulation, the removal of red tape, right across the board. They are the sort of policies that will provide assistance to businesses. This notion of giving handouts, which was the policy of the Hon. Mr Maher and the Labor Party, is not going to be our go-to policy. We will be looking at trying to reform business conditions to reduce the costs of doing business in South Australia so that our businesses in South Australia, in particular our small and medium-sized businesses, can be nationally and internationally competitive, as they must be.