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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-11-11 Daily Xml
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State Budget

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:25): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier please provide a further update to the house on how the Marshall Liberal government's 2020-21 budget will create jobs, back business and build what matters?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:26): It's a bit of a theme for today. I appreciate this opportunity and I thank the member for King for her excellent question. COVID has challenged us, but it has not broken us. Yesterday, we nailed our colours to the mast, delivering the single biggest economic adrenaline shot in the history of South Australia. We did this exactly and precisely to preserve and to grow as many jobs as we possibly could: creating jobs, backing business and building the infrastructure that we need to.

Yesterday, we announced that, over the forward estimates, $16.7 billion worth of infrastructure would be built in South Australia. The people of South Australia will see a lot of hard hats, a lot of high-vis and a lot of overalls right across South Australia. Tradies will be busy and the people of South Australia will get the infrastructure that they need.

I want to make it very clear that I am very pleased with some of the excellent infrastructure investments that are going to be made. Take for example the work that's going on in the Minister for Education's department: $30,000 going to every single preschool in South Australia. Between $20,000 and $80,000 for immediate maintenance projects is going out to every single school in South Australia and that's on top of the massive build that he currently has underway: $1.3 billion going into schools in South Australia, all to be delivered before the end of the 2021-22 year. That's the focus, and that is getting boots on the ground, getting the hard hats, the high-vis and the overalls active—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —and underway over the next two years to preserve as many jobs as we possibly can. Sir, in addition to the $10,000 that we put out in round 1 to help small business in South Australia, you would note that last week we announced a further round of $10,000 cash grants to those businesses that are still doing it tough. We want to make sure that we help as many businesses as possible in this state, so that is another $10,000 that will be going out there and, for the first time, a further grant of $3,000 to sole traders and partnerships who do not employ staff in South Australia.

I heard from the Treasurer yesterday that only after announcing this a few days ago there have been hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of applications for this vital cash that will support businesses and support employment in South Australia. He has made a commitment to get that money out in the next three to four weeks so it will be there in the bank accounts before Christmas, supporting business and supporting employment in South Australia.

That's not where it ends because we are very proud in yesterday's budget to provide a further $233 million relief for payroll tax in South Australia, often referred to as a tax on jobs. At a time when we need as many jobs as possible, we are relieving that massive pressure on businesses in South Australia with a $233 million waiver—not deferral, but waiver—here in South Australia. So you will find small business in South Australia defined as a business with up to $4 million worth of turnover. Eligible businesses will not pay a cent of payroll tax for a 15-month period—an incredible stimulus. We have also been able to deliver a removal of the payroll tax for trainees and apprentices for anybody who signs up from yesterday right through to 30 June—another major improvement.

There are so many elements of yesterday's budget, but they are all around a central theme, and that is economic injection into our economy to stave off that terrible economic catastrophe that is enveloping the world at the moment. We are creating jobs, we are backing business and we are building what matters.

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