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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-09 Daily Xml
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BUDGET SAVINGS TARGETS

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:02): My question is again for the Treasurer. In the 2008-09 financial year, did the government achieve the savings promised over each of the preceding four budgets which amounted to $291 million and, if not, how much of this target was achieved?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Federal/State Relations) (15:03): The savings targets that the government has outlined are largely on track, and I made that very clear in a previous statement. I am just checking whether I happen to have a specific brief with me so that I can give the member a little more information. The savings targets are on track. No, I do not have the appropriate briefing. We have said that the shared services are taking a little longer to lock in the long-term savings that we are hoping to get.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: There are some guys laughing up there. Remember the last staffers who used to laugh up there. Whatever happened to those two?

Mr GRIFFITHS: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Treasurer is debating this issue. My question was quite specific: over the last four years, have the savings targets been met and has the $291 million been achieved?

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer was not debating, but it is out of order for him to refer to people in the gallery.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: You are very sensitive, Iain, as you slide further down the frontbench.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I will say what I wish to say in this place, member for Davenport. I have made very clear in this parliament that the shared services savings have proven a little more difficult than we would have liked, but the important point is that we are locking and will lock those savings in, and I am very confident we will get those long-term savings.

I gave a statement—and, again, I will come back to the house—in response to this, I think, in estimates that we had achieved a very high percentage of all savings that have been required in government agencies. I do not have the percentage number in front of me, but my recollection from estimates was somewhere in the order of 90-plus per cent of the savings required have been achieved in aggregate terms.

Mr Griffiths: Across all four years?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Well, I will go back and have a closer look at your question and come back with a considered answer. I am sorry I do not have all of those statistics in front of me. I will go back and have a considered look at it.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I am not going to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I can only try to answer a question to the best of my ability. If members opposite are not satisfied, I cannot do a lot about that. I am saying to you, Mr Speaker, is that this government has a financial track record second to none in this state's history.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: According to the ratings agencies.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: According to the rating agencies. At a time when Queensland, which was seen as the premier financial state, was losing its AAA credit rating, this state maintained its AAA credit rating in the most difficult financial times this state has ever seen.

Mr Williams: You had to stop doing things.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Had to stop doing things? Absolutely. That is called tough decisions in tough times. What were you expecting us to do?

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: This goose over here said that we only kept our AAA credit rating because we stopped doing things. Yes; absolutely correct.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: We only got those savings by cutting money.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: We did. We only got 90 per cent of our savings because we stopped spending the money.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for MacKillop is warned a second time!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: This excuse for an alternate government—this poor excuse for an alternate government—is out there one day saying, 'Spend, spend, spend,' the next day they are saying, 'Don't spend,' the next day they are saying, 'Why aren't you spending?', then the next day they are saying, 'You are employing too many people.' They have no consistency, no strategy, no legitimacy.

Mr WILLIAMS: A point of order, Mr Speaker: the Treasurer is obviously debating now.

The SPEAKER: Yes. The Deputy Premier is debating.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I will conclude on this point: I will go back, look at the shadow finance minister's—or are you shadow treasurer?

Mr Griffiths: Shadow treasurer.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Shadow treasurer—sorry. I thought Rob was shadow treasurer. I consider Rob Lucas the shadow treasurer.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: The shadow treasurer in exile.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The shadow treasurer in exile! What I love about it is: this new fresh—

Mr GRIFFITHS: A point of order, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order! I think the Deputy Premier has concluded. I call the member for Morialta.

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