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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-05-21 Daily Xml
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State Election Campaign

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Automotive Transformation) (15:22): Without wanting to correct you, Mr Speaker, in your resplendent attire today—wearing the House of Commons brocade—it is not your five minutes to give: it is the parliament's, and the parliament allows it sir.

In my grievance I rise to speak of the most recent state election campaign and to thank those people who ensured that we are sitting again in the parliament on this side of the chamber. Firstly, I thank my wife and my family. We had a new baby girl who was born on 2 January, so I did not get to spend much time at home in those early days when I should have been home being Dad. So I want to thank Anthea and little Tia for being so patient with me for leaving home every morning at about 4.30 or 5 o'clock and getting home very late.

I also want to thank my electorate staff: Betty Livaditis and Zoi for their commitment to getting me re-elected in West Torrens. I want to thank the political candidates who stood in the seat of West Torrens: Serge Ambrose and Tim White. I think they ran their campaigns exceptionally honourably which means they did not do anything to upset me, which was very good.

I also want to thank the Premier and his entire office. I thank my office, and I want to thank Reggie Martin. I thank everyone in the ALP head office who worked so hard to get so many people elected. They are the people who do so much for us working behind the scenes. They work day and night, away from their families and do not get the public recognition that we all do in this parliament for winning our seats; for winning a campaign.

My ministerial office, headed by my chief of staff, Robert Malinauskas, right through to my personal assistant, Vicky—all of my advisers, not during government time but in their own time, gave up their labour for a cause, because people in our party are part of a movement larger than themselves, and that movement is healthy.

I believe that this government's victory is the beginning of something greater for this country. We are the one force that will stand up to those people who deny climate change, who think they can make cuts to health and education and who think that Australia should be somehow more Americanised and less Australian.

Former premier Dunstan used to say that the lights have gone out across Australia, but a light flickered in South Australia. I think that is a true statement of what has occurred here in this state. Darkness has descended across the country, with Coalition governments all across the country, but a light flickers here: a voice of reason, a voice of progressive politics, to stand up to—

An honourable member: A voice of modesty.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes—a voice to stand up to the excesses of members opposite and their ilk, a voice to stand up to the excesses and brutality that they would impose on those most vulnerable. I am privileged to hold the position of Treasurer of South Australia and, indeed, to hold the title of Labor Treasurer in this country. I will take that title into this budget process and be proud of it, to make sure that we can implement a Labor agenda. I also want to thank a few other people who played a very big part in the re-election of this government, and they are Steven Marshall, Rob Lucas and Graham Greene.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sorry, sir, the leader of—

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer will withdraw that and refer to them by their position or electorate name.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I wish to thank the member for Dunstan for the role he played. Our campaign tactic was very clear: we wanted to define him and he let us. After we had defined him, he played his part beautifully. I also want to thank the Hon. Rob Lucas. He has been advising the Liberal Party now for 40 years on how to run campaigns. Long may he continue. He is a man who I think should be held in the highest regard and I am pleased to note that he was re-elected for another eight-year term. This man is a genius and I hope that he continues in his position.

I also want to thank the hard-working Liberal Party state director, Graham Greene. I understand he had a very great—

Mr Gardner: Jeff.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Geoff Greene. I am sorry, Geoff Greene, for the work he did. I understand he did great things in Queensland and he has brought that great work and that great tactic to South Australia. That is a bit unkind on him, because he only has so much to work with. I think it is fair to say that the Liberal Party beat us in one thing and one thing only: money. On every other aspect of their campaign they were outsmarted, outfoxed, out-tacticked, out-worked and out-campaigned. We ran a grassroots campaign that is the envy of the nation. When I went to my first Treasurer's conference they all asked this one question: why did they run a first-term MP as their leader? I hope they do it again.

Time expired.

The SPEAKER: Graham Greene wrote The Quiet American and was a Nobel Prize winning novelist.

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