House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-15 Daily Xml

Contents

TAXES AND CHARGES

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:40): My question is again to the Treasurer.

The Hon. K.O. Foley interjecting:

Mrs REDMOND: No; a different question. Given that the Institute of Public Affairs and the Commonwealth Grants Commission both confirm that South Australia is already the highest taxed state in the country, why is it that South Australians are now going to face fewer services and higher taxes and charges?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Federal/State Relations, Minister for Defence Industries) (14:41): We do not know what is in the budget until the budget comes down tomorrow, although we might have a bit of an idea about some of the things that are in it.

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Pardon?

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The IPA, that is a fairly balanced commentating organisation, isn't it—the Institute of Public Affairs? I wonder what the IPA would have said about their election promises, where they outspent the Labor Party and when the shadow finance minister on the day before the election said, 'Oh, they're all spin. Our costings were all spin. There was no substance to them.' You were embarrassed and you were—

Mr Williams: Truthful and honest!

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: By telling us it was all spin? He has just confirmed that they were not being honest on the day before the election, that their costings and their promises about the Royal Adelaide Hospital were all spin. Well, thank you for your honesty.