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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-02-05 Daily Xml
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REPORT ON GOVERNMENT SERVICES

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (14:29): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier inform the house about South Australia's results in the Report on Government Services 2013?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:29): I can, Mr Speaker, and I thank the honourable member for her question. I am delighted to report that the Report on Government Services shows that South Australia has more nurses, more doctors, more operational police per person than any other state in Australia. We also have the highest number of public hospital beds per capita. Our patients are equally most likely in the nation to be seen on time in hospital emergency departments, and South Australia's high school students are more likely to stay at school to year 12 than students in any other state. It is particularly—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I warn the member for Heysen for the first time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It is particularly heartening to see that Indigenous school students in our state are the most likely of the Australian states to continue at high school from year 8 to year 12, and 64.2 per cent of Indigenous students were retained to year 12 in 2011—up from 30 per cent from 2002. This increase is higher than that recorded in any state or territory. The report also shows that our citizens enjoy the longest lives in the nation and that South Australia has the lowest number of homeless people of mainland states.

In terms of affordability, rental prices are amongst the lowest in the nation. The report shows that South Australia has the second lowest percentage of low-income households in rental stress. For the fifth year in a row, South Australia's correctional services system led the nation by recording the lowest rate of offenders returning to prison while having a cost per prisoner per day lower than the national average.

Disability services were reported to be more than half of the estimated population in South Australia, the highest of all the mainland states and well above the national average. South Australia has the highest rate nationally of disability services to the Indigenous population. These strong results demonstrate the government's commitment over the last decade to invest in services that help people.

Despite the tough economic times globally and the need for strong financial discipline across government, we will continue to make these investments in services. We know what the other proposition is from those opposite, who would place all of this at risk with their plans for a 25,000 job cut, including people on the ground who deliver these services that help people. That's what's at stake; that's the choice that's in front of South Australians. We reject this idea. We will not turn our back on the people in South Australia who need our help.

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