House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-04-03 Daily Xml

Contents

Federal Budget

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): My question is to the Premier again. Does the Premier agree with Coalition finance minister, Mathias Cormann, that South Australia is $1.3 billion better off despite a revision in GST over the forward estimates?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:12): I haven't seen the comments that have been made by Mathias Cormann, but what I do know is that the GST projections are down compared to where they were at this time last year and where they were as part of the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook. This is not a matter of policy from the federal government, so I don't know whether the Leader of the Opposition has had a chance to get a briefing yet—maybe Kevin Naughton can organise it—to find out how the GST is actually derived and delivered.

This is not a federal government determination. The GST pool has shrunk. This is a statement of fact. It's pretty tough for us here in South Australia and it will be challenging for us with the budget, which is coming up in June this year, but we will deliver a surplus this year. It will be challenging for next financial year, and we will have more to say about that in the lead-up to our budget here in South Australia. One thing is for sure: the Liberal Party in South Australia is always the best to manage our economy, always the best to manage our budget and always puts the people of South Australia first.