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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-11-26 Daily Xml
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COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:26): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier advise the house about the effects on South Australia of recently announced commonwealth government positions?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:26): I thank the honourable member for her question. It is only 10 weeks since the election of the new commonwealth government (it seems longer, doesn't it?) and South Australia is feeling the brunt of its fiscal conservatism. We already knew that it was going to cut $500 million out of automotive assistance, and that sector is facing months of extraordinary uncertainty, which is not only bad for that sector and reckless in relation to decision-making by Holden, it is also very bad for the South Australian economy.

Yesterday we heard from the federal education minister that he will tear up funding agreements reached with states and territories, including South Australia. Not only do we stand to lose $400 million of funding in the later years of the agreement, but schools face uncertainty from now on as to whether they will be getting any additional funds. This comes on top of the commonwealth government reneging on agreements for the funding of the Gawler rail electrification line, the Tonsley Park interchange, and the Torrens to Torrens upgrade of South Road. Together these represent $536 million of funding. In the regions—and you would have thought the commonwealth government would at least pay some respect to its natural constituency—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The commonwealth is reneging on our agreement for the upgrade of the road through to the APY lands, where its share was $85 million, and it has taken away $10 million of Farm Finance from South Australia.

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Mr Speaker, most—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is warned.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Most shamefully, $650 million in River Murray upgrades and water buybacks has been deferred, threatening to choke our state's lifeblood and undermining the nature of the agreement we reached to save the River Murray. The commonwealth is also withdrawing funding so vital to our local communities, with $11 million in cuts to the Regional Development Australia Fund. These cuts will affect dozens of local clubs and community groups—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is warned for the first time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Together these cuts total over $2 billion—$2 billion in only 10 weeks—and we have had 10 weeks of only stunning silence from the Leader of the Opposition in the face of this. He is silent because he knows what is coming from his side of the equation; he knows what is coming next. He will not reveal it to us; it is a secret to the rest of us, but in the light of—

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order, sir: standing order 98. I believe the Premier is not addressing the substance of the question, which was about commonwealth initiatives.

The SPEAKER: Yes, the Premier has drifted from the nub of the question. I will listen to what the Premier has to say carefully.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: What we have seen in recent weeks is a pattern of very clear statements that are made in the lead-up to a federal election but with very little scrutiny, unfortunately, because, sadly, people had already made their minds up about the result of the last federal election. That will not be a strategy available to the Leader of the Opposition. He is not going to be able to hide in the same way—

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order, sir—

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —that the Prime Minister of Australia was able to hide.

The SPEAKER: The Premier, leave to continue the answer is withdrawn. The leader.

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