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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-11-12 Daily Xml
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Emergency Services Levy

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:05): I do, sir, if I may. Again, to the Minister for Local Government. Can the minister confirm if the increase in the emergency services levy costs on local government was discussed with the minister as part of the bilateral discussions prior to the budget with the Treasurer?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (15:05): All cabinet decisions are taken collectively. The budget was announced and the opposition was informed that remissions would be done differently, through the Economic and Finance Committee. It is not my fault they do not read their papers.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Before the budget. Any questions on the emergency services levy should be directed to me, Mr Speaker, and the government has made its position clear that we are more than happy to return the remissions once the commonwealth reverse their decisions. Interestingly, I noted on the radio the Treasurer, Joe Hockey, talking about—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: I am waiting to see how the Treasurer is going to join up these remarks to the question.

Ms CHAPMAN: Except that the Treasurer has already indicated that not only he should be the sole repository for answering questions on this but he preceded that by saying all of those discussions were cabinet discussions and wouldn't be discussed, so he has answered the question. So, I ask that reference to other discussions are completely irrelevant.

The SPEAKER: The point of order is not upheld. Treasurer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: In the context of the ESL remission changes, the Treasurer was on radio talking about how there had been no cut to funding and that our budget papers were not accurate. I have here a list of cuts. The health special purpose payments, National Health Reform Agreement, provides $1 billion per year in general funding support to public hospitals. Those cuts—

Ms CHAPMAN: Further point of order. The question was: what discussions were held between the Minister for Local Government and the Treasurer? Unless Mr Hockey was present in those discussions and somehow or other exempt from cabinet solidarity, I suggest it is completely irrelevant to this question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, the government is being asked questions about the removal of remissions to the emergency services levy and I am providing a context for that.

The SPEAKER: They were other questions. This was about the Minister for Local Government's involvement in budget bilaterals.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I understand, sir, but I am giving a context to those budget bilaterals.

The SPEAKER: I would like you, in the next 30 seconds, to join this up with the question, if you would.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Let me be very clear about this. The long list of cuts made by the commonwealth total $898.4 million and the state government had five weeks to address this unprecedented cut to our hospitals, our schools and our pensioners. The emergency services levy, in that context, remissions were removed.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Mr Speaker, I am trying to put this in context and I do not wish to offend you or the house, but it seems to me there is an inconvenient truth that members opposite do not want to accept when it comes to the emergency services levy, that it is their political party that is responsible for it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Yes, I do not think the Treasurer quite ever joined it up. The member for Chaffey.

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