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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-05-13 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

Federal Budget

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:01): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I regret to inform the house that the 2015-16 federal budget delivered last night by the federal Treasurer Joe Hockey continues the assault against South Australia. As members would recall, last year's federal budget, without consultation or warning, ripped $898 million from South Australian hospitals, schools and pensioners over a four-year period. Over a 10-year period, South Australia stands to lose over $5.5 billion as a result of the commonwealth Liberal government's cruel and heartless cuts.

Last night, we were hoping that the federal government had received South Australia's message to reinstate these cuts loud and clear. We stood up and fought these unfair cuts on behalf of all South Australians. The 2015-16 federal budget has failed to reverse funding cuts to South Australia's hospitals, schools and pensioners, with cuts now totalling more than $1 billion over the next four years.

The federal government has missed an opportunity to be fair and reasonable to the people of South Australia. The fact that the federal Treasurer only once mentioned South Australia in his budget speech last night speaks volumes. Last night's federal budget failed to reverse the cuts to health and education, costing South Australians $912 million over the next four years. It failed to reverse cuts to pensioner concessions, our most vulnerable citizens, costing $126.8 million over the next four years. It failed to reverse cuts to the local government funding indexation of South Australian supplementary local government roads funding. Any extra revenue delivered from GST is dwarfed by the size of these massive, ongoing cuts and falls in our own source revenues.

The fight does not end here. Right across the country, state and territory leaders are standing up against these unfair cuts to health and education and are calling on the Abbott government to reinstate vital funding. Where there was once one voice, there are now many. I was pleased to see the New South Wales Liberal Treasurer say this morning that she remained deeply concerned about the cuts to health and education and would keep fighting the commonwealth on the issue.

We will join with the New South Wales Liberal state government and others to continue to stand up and fight these cruel cuts. We will not walk away from our commitment to delivering Gonski funding and transforming our health system. While the federal government has refused to reverse the cruel cuts to our most vulnerable pensioners, we will not stand idly by and see our community suffer. It is simply not in our DNA. We will protect the most vulnerable, and we will have more to say about that soon.

Last night's federal budget also delivered no additional support for our auto manufacturing sector ahead of the closure of Holden in 2017. The Abbot government's Automotive Transformation Scheme is simply a cruel hoax which will deliver only up to $100 million of the $900 million available to car manufacturers. There is no support for the supply chains, the parts and component suppliers that so desperately need access to the federal government's funding to help them diversify and survive—

Ms Sanderson interjecting:

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

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —past 2017. We also received no guarantee that future submarines will be built in South Australia and not overseas. These are vital decisions that need to be made now by the federal government if they are serious about protecting the future of the industry in South Australia. It seems—

Ms Sanderson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Adelaide is warned.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —that the federal government has missed the mark, allocating billions of dollars for stimulus for the north of the country rather than in the north of Adelaide, which needs it most. In a further blow to South Australia, the federal government has chosen not to commit—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

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

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: In a further blow to South Australia, the federal government has chosen not to commit to further vital infrastructure projects in South Australia—no new roads, no new rail, no new ports and no new grade separations. The budget has missed the mark. The budget is defined by what it has not done. The Prime Minister and the Treasurer had the opportunity to right the wrongs from last year's horror budget.

We all hope the small business package might help restore shattered business confidence as a result of the Treasurer's previous budget. Every state and territory in Australia will continue to feel the effects of the federal government's cruel cuts for years to come. That is why our Premier will lead discussions on commonwealth funding when state premiers and the Prime Minister meet later this year. We have chosen to stand up to those who do wrong by our state. We were elected to fight for all South Australians and that is what we will always do.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Last night's budget did not point to one key initiative that the South Australian federal Liberals have delivered. The member for Sturt and the member for Mayo failed to point to one vital project for the people of this state. They stand idly by as the federal government turns its back on this state and the people of South Australia. The federal budget delivers some wins but many losses. There is a big tick for small business but it has failed the fairness test for the most vulnerable in our community, our hospitals and our schools.

The SPEAKER: I have given the opposition and, particularly, the leader, as I always do, enormous scope to interject on what was a ministerial statement with a rhetorical tinge.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: A rhetorical flourish, sir.

The SPEAKER: A rhetorical flourish, thank you. I would now like a return to order.

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