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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-11-18 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

Labor Government

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:07): This is a government that has entirely lost its moral compass. It is not a bad government just because it is a Labor government. It is a bad Labor government that has no idea anymore of what it stands for, why it is here, its purpose for existence and why they want to be in government. Once upon a time, the Labor Party used to talk about serving the working people of South Australia. Once upon a time, the Labor Party used to talk about serving the vulnerable people of South Australia. There are proud servants of the Labor Party throughout its history who have supported those in our community who serve us the most, who sacrifice for us the most, who give the most for us, and I think of no more than our veterans and our police.

But what has this Labor government done under the current Premier? What has this Labor government done under the administration of the Premier, the Treasurer, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Police? We have seen their word to the people of South Australia and the veterans of South Australia completely gone back on by their announcement to shut down the Repatriation General Hospital. That is a betrayal of our veterans and, even more, it is a betrayal of the community, especially in the western and south-western suburbs, who rely on that hospital for their needs.

The veterans of Australia deserve better. The veterans get support from our federal government. The veterans get support from the Liberal Party. The veterans get support from the community. One hundred and thirty thousand South Australians have signed, either in writing or through their electronic signatures, the petition to save the Repatriation General Hospital, and what has this government done? It has spat in their faces and decided that it will be closed down.

Today we see the height of arrogance and hypocrisy from a Labor government that has campaigned with the support of police officers and the people of South Australia. They have had a law and order agenda. They have criticised former governments for closing police stations. They have criticised former governments for not being supportive enough of police, yet this is the first government that has spat in the face of our police officers through their cruel reaction, adding insult to injury in the way that they treat our police officers who are injured in the course of their duties.

The Liberal Party, led by the Leader of the Opposition, will stand with the police officers of South Australia, as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition did today on the steps of Parliament House in supporting the police officers of South Australia while the minister was in his office or in the chamber getting regular updates from his staff on what was going on outside.

We had Labor members of parliament looking very awkward, looking very embarrassed, on the steps of Parliament House as the Police Association, supported by well over 1,000 members of the South Australian community, rallied on the steps of Parliament House for the first time in 25 years, seeking a fair go from the government.

And what did they get? Dead silence from the government except from the Deputy Premier who has taken it upon himself over the last two weeks to be the voice in opposition to the Police Association's reasonable claims, to the point where he is not even interested in coming up with a better way forward; he just says that he has accused the Police Association of not presenting all the facts appropriately, and that is an unfair accusation.

The Deputy Premier today, I note referred to somebody he described as 'that man' in relation to officer Brett Gibbons, who was the victim of a serious injury when he, in the course of his duty protecting the community, was shot in the face. Brett Gibbons stood with Alison Coad, stood with members of the opposition, and members of the other parties in the Legislative Council and the Police Association on the steps of Parliament House today, proudly and courageously putting their case for fair treatment because policing is a unique sort of occupation.

The service that police officers get the community is a unique form of service. The sacrifice that they offer themselves, where they put themselves in harm's way for us, where they do not get the opportunity to put their personal safety before the community's safety needs to be respected. The Liberal Party respects that; the Liberal Party supports them in that.

It is a shock to the well over 1,000 people who braved the 39° to be on the steps of Parliament House today, having walked from Victoria Square, that people such as the Premier, people such as the Attorney-General, would not stand with them. The Liberal Party will stand with them, the Leader of the Opposition will stand with them. The Labor Party in South Australia has lost its moral compass. They are a bad government and they deserve nothing more than the community to turf them out at the next election, and I urge the house again to stand with our police officers as they seek a reasonable fair go.

Mr Duluk interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Davenport will not interject out of his seat.

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