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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-05-10 Daily Xml
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Federal Budget

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:04): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement. Is that necessary?

The SPEAKER: It is necessary. They may want to hear from you once, not twice.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The commonwealth government of Australia last night delivered the federal budget for 2017-18. I want to start with a few measures in this budget which the state government welcomes. We welcome the $68 million proton beam facility at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Not the protein beam facility—which was built on the first-class health precinct this government has built on North Terrace. The government welcomes the new tax on banks, which is something the Premier has been advocating for in different forums at the COAG. We welcome the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigations into the gas and electricity markets and extending funding to the Australian Energy Regulator. We congratulate the federal government commissioning the CSIRO to complete energy use data modelling and topping up funding for the Bureau of Meteorology.

It is also pleasing to see the commonwealth following South Australia's lead with the rollout of a PACE scheme, a plan for accelerated exploration, about which federal minister Matt Canavan called me today and said that imitation is the finest form of flattery. I thank him for that. The scheme provides incentives to encourage development of gas fields. Imitation, of course, is the greatest form of flattery.

However, the centrepiece of last night's federal budget was federal Treasurer Scott Morrison's $75 billion infrastructure spend across the next 10 years of which there is nothing new for South Australia. This $75 billion includes $5.3 billion—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is called to order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —for a second Sydney airport, $1.6 billion for Western Australian rail and roads, $1 billion for Victorian rail and $844 million for Queensland roads. For South Australians, there are no new roads, no new rail, no new ports and no new trams. There is even a bizarre decision by the federal government to buy back the Snowy Hydro from New South Wales and Victoria for $5 billion. Shifting a publicly owned asset from one level of government to another does nothing to help transform our energy sector to a cleaner, more reliable and more secure energy network.

We would not be doing our job if we did not stand up for the citizens of our state and point out the lack of new funding. It is galling that the federal government can spend $75 billion on infrastructure but not a single extra dollar on a new transport and infrastructure program in South Australia. Instead, the federal budget attempts to reannounce numerous projects that have been in the pipeline for a long time, including funds for the Torrens to Torrens, Darlington interchange and Northern Connector roadworks, which were already allocated, and there is not an extra dollar; the $37 million asset recycling for energy infrastructure which is a payment under a previously announced scheme; and the $110 million equity offer to support Port Augusta solar, which is both an old announcement and highly conditional.

On finances, the house should note that the commonwealth now estimates the GST contribution to South Australia will be $6.3 billion in the forthcoming financial year. The total over four years is $30 million less than the commonwealth in December estimated in its Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook and $587 million less than the commonwealth estimated a year ago. This decrease will constrain our state budget. While restoring a very small portion of the Gonski funding, the federal budget does next to nothing to repair the billions of dollars of cuts to health and education from the disastrous 2014 budget.

Finally, this government needs to draw to attention to one of the most glaring omissions from the federal budget. In the last state budget, this state Labor government pledged $50 million in grant funding for the successful purchaser of Arrium to invest in the long-term steelmaking capacity of Whyalla. To date, the commonwealth government has only offered $50 million of loan support to Whyalla, despite recently earmarking $1 billion to help fund a prospective coalmine in Queensland. The people of Whyalla should rightly expect the same level of support to save 3,000 jobs in their city.

While those opposite congratulate the federal Liberal government on spending money in New South Wales, we will continue to fight for South Australia's fair share. This federal budget is a great disappointment for South Australia, but I could not agree more—

Mr GARDNER: Sir, point of order—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —with the Leader of the Opposition when he says, 'I'll tell you the best guarantee for more money coming to South Australia—that is a hardworking Labor government which puts the interests of South Australians first.' That is exactly what we are doing.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: He bats for both sides. He wants to bat for us and the Liberal Party.

Members interjecting:

Mr GARDNER: Mr Speaker, is there some arcane technical point that we are unclear about?

The SPEAKER: Long ago and far away, when I was in your situation, I withdrew leave for a ministerial statement and the then Liberal government amended the standing orders to make sure I could not withdraw leave. Be that as it may, the member for Morialta is within his rights, as an individual member, to withdraw leave, and leave has been withdrawn. So the ministerial statement is at an end.

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