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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-06-20 Daily Xml
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Telstra Job Losses

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:45): My question is to the Minister for Industry and Skills, if he exists. In the face of the Telstra job losses in South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: I don't understand how there can be a point of order when I haven't heard the entirety of the question.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The member has a requirement to refer to members by their title. By saying 'if he exists', he is undermining his own role in question time and not referring to members by their title.

The SPEAKER: I will listen to the question. The leader.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: My question is to the Minister for Industry and Skills. Will the minister reverse his cuts to Career Partners Plus and WISE Employment in light of the impending job losses?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:45): As you would be—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Allow the Premier to be heard in silence. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As you would be aware, sir, we have delayed the budget for the 2018-19 year to September. We are doing a lot of work. We are doing a huge amount of work at the moment to review programs that were offered by the previous government to make sure that we get value for money for the taxpayers in South Australia. This is the prudent thing to do. The delay of the budget has become mainstream, if you like, in recent years in South Australia after an election. As you would be aware, sir, budgets are handed down, usually in June prior to the beginning of a financial year, but after an election it has become the norm to delay the first budget after the election until September. At the moment, can I just say we are doing the work required—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —to bring down the very best budget that we can. There were plenty of cuts that were envisaged by the former government that we are now having to deal with, and can I just say this is tough going. There were plenty of programs which came to an end on 30 June which now won't be continuing, not through any fault of the new government but because of the discontinuation of funding which either occurred in the previous government in a previous budget—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The Premier is attempting to answer the question.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I think there are plenty of examples.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: There are plenty of examples where the former government provided funding to a program, but it came to an end on 30 June this year.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It is interesting that they are here bleating at the moment but they actually put out a campaign-costing document. They didn't have any continuation of these programs.

An honourable member: Three months ago.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Three months ago there was no mention that they were going to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier will be heard in silence.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I put this to you, sir: don't you think that if you had every intention of refunding something you might have put it in your campaign-costing document; you might have actually included it in your forward estimates? The only indication of what they were going to be funding of course came down in the Mid-Year Budget Review, and let me tell you what that contained: a massive efficiency dividend which is going to be inflicted upon every single government department. That is the efficiency dividend that was contained—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —in the Mid-Year Budget Review.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: When was that handed down? Was that handed down on a day where the entire press pack was there asking questions? No, they waited until most of the press pack had actually gone on their Christmas leave so that they could just sneak it out there—these vicious cuts that they were inflicting upon the people of South Australia. We don't apologise for taking our time to come up with the very best budget that we can, but let me tell you it has been a difficult situation. It's been a difficult task for us, but all will be revealed and there is not long to wait.

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