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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
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Question Time

ELECTORAL FUNDING REFORM

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): My question is to the Premier. As Treasurer, will he be continuing Labor's current practice of borrowing more than $4 million a day every day for eight yeas?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:22): I welcome the Leader of the Opposition to his new role, and wish him well in that role. What we will be doing in South Australia is continuing to invest in South Australia's future prosperity, and that sensibly involves borrowings that allow us to purchase the infrastructure which allows us to develop that prosperity into the future.

If implicit in the question is that we should cease making those investments in South Australia's future, it demonstrates the great divide that sits between this side of the house and the other side of the house in relation to the economic policy of the state. There is a clear public policy choice in front of the people of South Australia, presenting itself throughout the course of this year up until the next election, and that is whether we invest in our future or whether we shrink fearfully into—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Hammond to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: We have chosen the former, and we have chosen to turn our back on the latter. That means investing in the network of road and rail upgrades, the public infrastructure which is enlivening our CBD—

Dr McFetridge interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Morphett to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —ensuring our water security, and opening up our regions. All of these things are about South Australia's future prosperity. But they do something else very important now: they sustain jobs in an economy where there is great uncertainty. So this $9.3 billion of projects—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Heysen to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —which stretch out across the forward estimates are sustaining our young people in employment now at a time when, if we were not making these investments, there would be even greater levels of insecurity in this state. If implicit in this question is a critique of our present public policy settings, what is the alternative? What is being offered as an alternative? Withdrawing from the economy at a time when businesses are calling for us to step up and invest?

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Unley to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: And, if you don't believe me, believe those who are calling for governments around the nation—luminaries on the Reserve Bank board, such as Ms Ridout and others—to take advantage of the low interest rate environment and actually invest in infrastructure for the future.

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