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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-07-30 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Employment Figures

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:03): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier agree with Mr Nick Reade, the chief executive of Bank SA, that South Australia's unemployment rate will soon reach 10 per cent?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:04): No, I agree with the author of Turning back time in SA who observed that in South Australia: 'While Labor wants this state to put the clocks forward, it is the Liberal opposition which is content with turning them back to the days of Tom Playford.' That is who I agree with.

There really is a choice here in South Australia about whether you want to be part of the future, whether you want to be part of transforming the South Australian economy, or whether you want to turn the clock back to the Playford era. And I do know that those opposite hanker for a different age when they were—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: unless the Premier is about to join up his half-hour time zone change proposal to the unemployment of rate of 10 per cent, it's not relevant.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold the point of order. The Premier has, perhaps, 15 seconds to segue into the substance of—

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, here is the segue, sir: it is going to require a change of attitude if we are actually going to avoid a 10 per cent unemployment rate—a change in attitude, a change in mindset from everybody in this state and, in particular, from those opposite who are absolutely stuck in a former age, people who are so addicted to failure that they come in here year after year with their empty criticisms, their inability to put a sensible, coherent package before the people of South Australia, and they want to lecture us about what—

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker: standing order 98. I think that the Premier has more than used his 15 seconds and has not returned to Bank SA's assessment of unemployment.

The SPEAKER: So, the point of order is relevance?

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Yes, sir.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: My assessment of South Australia's future will be linked to our capacity to change and to transform the South Australian economy, our capacity to meet the challenges by adopting a different mindset, and let me offer this explanation about what is the greatest risk and the greatest challenge to South Australia.

If we do not change it is the reason why we will not actually achieve this objective of turning the state around, and it is the very attitudes which are implicit in the Liberal Party of South Australia. The Liberal Party of South Australia is what is wrong with attitudes in South Australia.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: standing order 98. The Premier continues to debate. He is defying you, sir. He needs to show more respect.

The SPEAKER: We will ask the Premier, perhaps, to answer the question without reference to the opposition, which, after all, hasn't been in government since early 2002.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It is difficult, sir, because the Liberal Party of South Australia, which I will not refer to again in my answer, and the perspective that they represent, is one that does exist in the South Australian community. It is a major party and it does represent a perspective about South Australia—that is, that nothing should change ever.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: The Premier is just about to move on from the South Australian Liberal Party.

Ms CHAPMAN: Thank you, sir.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I am talking about attitudes generally, sir; I am not necessarily talking about—

Ms Chapman: Then answer the question.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Those attitudes which are abroad in the South Australian community represent the greatest threat to our capacity—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker: for the fourth time the Premier has disobeyed your ruling. He continues—

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully to whether, as the deputy leader alleges, the Premier is defying my ruling.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Sir, I am trying to stay very much within the foursquares of your ruling, which is to respond to the challenges in front of South Australia, which are essentially about resisting this increase in our unemployment rate. We are going to have to change mindsets and attitudes in this state. There is no doubt about that. It is going to require us to do things which we have not done before—that, essentially, is a challenge to the conservative mindset. It requires a reforming mindset, and that is why this side of the chamber is best placed to actually meet this challenge.

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