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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-01 Daily Xml
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Supply Bill 2022

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 31 May 2022.)

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (16:38): How nice it was to travel over to Her Excellency at Government House for some fine food and drinks, as we have just been lucky enough to have been afforded.

Picking up on what I was speaking about regarding the Supply Bill, the last two points were on the education system in MacKillop and school enrolments in the context of a declining population and transport arrangements to get students to school. As I have already highlighted, we now have a new Labor government back in power in 2022. We had a lot to do with the Liberal government in the four years that we were allowed to be in government, but that is no more.

One of the things I hope they do in regard to education relates to these two dot points: about the declining population—we obviously need our population to grow in the regions—and we also need to make sure that the transport arrangements, particularly around school buses, are sustainable and can get our children to regional schools.

Just today, I was reminded by correspondence from the Coomandook principal that we have a school bus but that there is further deterioration of resources, with school buses and amalgamations of bus routes and the problem of trying to get students to school and their parents having to travel further and further, which makes it harder on their work commitments and family commitments.

This would be no surprise, but I am going to say it to highlight it to our city members of parliament, whatever political party they belong to: it is a lot different in the country, where you cannot get onto public transport. The networks we have out in the regions are a finite resource. It is a resource that is very much needed and appreciated, and I hope that this government really does understand its commitments to look after the regions like it wishes it can do. We need a bus service that does work and that can pick up the students we need to.

We discussed some of the challenges that are impacting on our schools that need to be addressed to underpin the retention of our local schools. One of the key points highlighted was the effective bus runs or other transport methods to schools. We also discussed the need to attract workers and their families to the area, together with creating access to appropriate housing to continue to attract families to our regions.

Thinking of families and education, one of the things I think is going to be very interesting is the early learning centre. We had both political parties from our last federal election support the early learning centre for Kingston. I know that the education minister is fully aware of what the new Labor government's Kingston development can be and should be, and what it hopefully will look like. I am sure that the Kingston township will be looking forward to working with the new Minister for Education plus the promise from our federal government in supporting a new build in Kingston for an early learning centre.

Obviously, with this new early learning centre, I hope it will have childcare facilities and be able to pick up the care of children to allow both parents to work. That is one of those resources that is needed not only in Kingston but right around the regions and no doubt all around MacKillop. I can tell you that a lot of the childcare facilities we have in MacKillop are full. They are overflowing. There are a lot of children who do not have access to child care because the numbers are too great.

It is going to be very interesting because I have heard, and obviously it is noted, that the new federal Labor government is going to look at models around child care, supporting childcare facilities and children and families perhaps more than what has been in the past. I am hoping that rolls out through our regions in South Australia and that our families are able to pick this up, and work and run with this.

I commend the Coorong District Council for their work in this area and intend to continue with the council to assist to cement pathways for appropriate access for students and schools' resourcing to ensure quality teaching and facilities. We need to underpin the sustainability of schools through quality education, supported by high-quality facilities, regional employment and housing for families.

I have spoken in this place before in relation to how the impacts of a shortage of housing are impacting on our workforce and communities. We have acknowledged the challenges of getting investment in housing into our regions. I believe we need a combined local, state and federal government and private sector response to this challenge.

As a region, we have been exploring and seeking solutions. Councils and local businesses are taking up initiatives. The Tatiara council is working on solutions while businesses are also taking up the challenge. For example, in my region, we have a major employer in JBS in Bordertown that has bought an old motel and turned the motel rooms into full-time accommodation in trying to address the accommodation shortage or living facilities in Bordertown. That is one of the solutions that has been found.

In the northern part, a new part of my electorate of MacKillop between the towns of Lameroo and Pinnaroo, a major employer has built 27 new houses for his workforce, all out on his own as a business in trying to address this shortage of housing in the regions. We know the Tatiara district council has a multipurpose caravan park accommodation for workers. I know that the councils across the electorate are seeking development initiatives and solutions to this issue. There is interest from private developers to build affordable housing.

I hope that in the next four years, through local government, state government and federal government, we recognise that the private sector has shied away—that is the nicest way to put it—from building these houses out in our regions. We know that there are huge opportunities with employment out in our regional areas but there is no point in having these jobs and asking people to live in these regions if there is nowhere to live.

One of the flaws that has been highlighted in the housing sector is that the financial system recognises the risk in building in our regions. We know that if there is a new development on the fringe or surrounding areas of Adelaide the financial sector will require a financial arrangement in the way of equity compared with the equity required out in our regions.

This is highlighted by the fact that housing developments require around 10 per cent equity to build a housing development, depending on the size and the risk, but if they go out into the regions they could require 60 per cent equity. Obviously, this is based on the fact that some towns may not always grow and some towns may move with their population because some businesses might change, go under, and there is an element of risk.

One thing that is highlighted—and I heard it just today in a grieve by the member for Mount Gambier—is that Mount Gambier is the second largest regional town outside Adelaide. It has had a population of around 20,000, moving slowly up towards 26,000, 27,000, maybe 28,000. It does not resemble anything like the secondary towns in Victoria, New South Wales or Queensland. I hope this new state government recognises the opportunities in our regions and the fact that, yes, Adelaide is important, that Adelaide has to work, but it does not have to have everything about South Australia.

The townships beyond Adelaide's boundary are very important. Adelaide depends on the regions for economic growth, exports and export dollars and jobs. It derives a huge amount of income that probably supports Adelaide in everything it stands for, but Adelaide has to recognise that it has to also look after those regions in terms of both money and people.

In terms of social housing, the current cold weather has again resulted in a statewide Code Blue, and concerns for those in need of emergency and social housing are also front of mind. I am advised that Naracoorte has one of the highest demands for social housing but some of the lowest availability. We need to work to ensure public housing is available for all those who need it.

In summing up the whole housing issue, I hope that when we address this issue we find a model of housing that not only addresses social housing but is also affordable for all regional South Australia's needs. It needs to be a build that probably does not even resemble the same sorts of builds that are designed and planned for the city of Adelaide. I will give you a classic example that happened in Bordertown in the last couple of years so that this statement and knowledge are understood.

Unity Housing went out and bought a block of land and built two houses on it. It cost around $600,000 for the two houses, $300,000 each. Once those houses in Bordertown were finished, their value was $500,000. Unity Housing loses $100,000 worth of equity once those two houses are finished. This does not stack up in anyone's business books, to build these types of houses and lose $100,000 of equity as soon as they are finished. It tells you that the type of house that was built there may have a purpose, but I think we have to understand that the model of house has to be affordable, hold its value and also recognise what is required in the way of housing that is neat, functional and durable over the long haul.

Coming back to some of the other infrastructure in MacKillop that I hope we cover off, we have a number of roads. Although we address some of our roads in MacKillop while we were in government, there are roads like the Mallee Highway, going from Tailem Bend through to Pinnaroo into Victoria, that need a massive upgrade. It is not a road that is fit for need, particularly after the railway line was closed.

We have roads like the Rowney Road between Kingston and Bordertown. We have a road between Bordertown, Frances and Kybybolite. We have a road between Millicent and Beachport. They are like a patchwork quilt: they are undulating and not fit for trucks and so forth to reach their speed limit; they cannot because they will be thrown off these roads because they are so up and down and wavy.

Another issue is mobile telephones. I am hoping this new Labor government will recognise that what they did in the first 16 years was not participate in the federal government funds for mobile blackspots. I hope they roll out more mobile telephones because communication is very important. We are lucky enough to have Adelaide people come and enjoy our regions as holiday destinations, but they wonder why they cannot use their mobile phone. They wonder why it drops out. A classic case is Beachport during the summer holidays. The mobile telephone towers there cannot manage the summer holiday population. The phone will drop out on you because it is overcrowded, and this is the sort of thing country people put up with all the time.

Another thing I would like to say, and hopefully this Labor government will do well, is that one of the biggest projects going on in South Australia's history is the north-south corridor. I hope that it is not playing any sorts of games around this area, that it does it well and recognises any problem with that development. If it blows out to any extent, it is a huge cost to this state. The regions will suffer if that goes badly. I wish the new state government all the best and the best of outcomes for regional South Australia.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Hon L.W.K. Bignell): Thank you, member for MacKillop. That was an excellent contribution, although I am going to mark you down a little bit for not enough references to Glencoe. I was down at the footy club a few weeks ago, and they speak very highly of you as their local member of parliament. They reckon you are a very good footy umpire as well. We move now to the member for Hurtle Vale.

The Hon. N.F. COOK (Hurtle Vale—Minister for Human Services) (16:50): Thank you very much, Mr Acting Speaker, and welcome to the chair, member for Mawson. I am very pleased to see you sitting up there. I thank you for allowing me to speak on the Supply Bill. I note that, along with the Appropriation Bill, this authorises the spending of public funds for public good. I will only make a small contribution, but I do think as a local member it is important that we speak on such matters and show that we are participating in that process and making sure that we are maintaining that accountability to our local community.

As a state, nation and a global community, we have endured an uncertain period over the last few years. It has been very unpleasant and very challenging and, while many things are improving, there are challenges that will continue. We face an economic environment of inflation, rising interest rates and other significant challenges. Over the past few years as well, we have seen an unprecedented level of state debt accumulate and, if there was ever time to seize new opportunities and new ways of doing things, it is now.

We have that rising debt on our horizon—there is no getting around that. We should be forthcoming in talking about it, honest and open. The South Australian electorate deserves to know everything we can tell them about our spending, our reasons for undertaking that spending and the values and priorities that guide it. The debt that is ahead of us will be incurred for good and worthy reasons, but it does mean that we have to really set our minds as a government to identifying economic opportunity and boldly pursuing it.

We must find ways of doing things better and maximising the value for the public spend. Labor believes that every dollar of government spending should contribute in some way to the higher overarching purpose of building a fairer and more inclusive society, one in which prosperity is shared and opportunity is enjoyed by all.

Government spending should be about deliberately and meaningfully responding to community need, and it should be about reforming our systems and institutions to ensure that all South Australians are afforded equitable and abundant opportunities that enable them to reach their full potential during long, healthy and happy lives. Those are the beliefs that will guide our spending during this term of government. They are consistent with the vision that we articulated during the campaign—a vision that resonated quite evidently in our community.

Our election result demonstrated that our community was ready for a caring government that will create a better future for all South Australians. It was a tremendous relief, just weeks later, that people across our nation have sent that very same message resoundingly. They have tossed out a federal government that was characterised by deliberate and calculated cruelty towards so many groups of marginalised Australians. Our community will finally receive the compassion and care that they deserve from the Albanese federal Labor government.

I know I speak for all my Labor colleagues when I say that our government greatly looks forward to working in close collaboration with our federal counterparts in areas of shared responsibility and shared intention. As with many of my ministerial colleagues, I have already had conversations with federal ministers today, and I am very excited to share the vision of moving forward in a kinder and inclusive society with them. I cannot wait to bring in some changes very soon. We will absolutely work together to improve housing affordability, in particular for those on low incomes.

The Malinauskas Labor government will seek to maximise the benefits for our community of the commonwealth government's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. This will create new options and new opportunities for thousands of Australians who are in crisis, who are on low incomes or who are living in unacceptable conditions.

I listened to the member for MacKillop speak before, and as he was speaking I was thinking about the opportunities that we will have working together to talk about housing in his electorate. I know that he has already reached out to our office. We have made a commitment to have those discussions, and we are just now looking at a time for us to catch up next week so that we can talk about how best to not only improve the housing availability but also maximise the services within the area by providing that housing so there is somewhere for people to live while they work.

Those sorts of visions are very important. I look forward to working not just with the member for MacKillop but with other regional members. I know that my team have been out and about in the last week just to make sure that we try to bed those ideas down very quickly. This investment is able to assist in creating a development pipeline in industries that contribute to housing constructions and also in regard to maintenance. It means more jobs for our community and more opportunities for apprentices, all contributing to more South Australians in secure, suitable and stable homes.

We will work in collaboration with the Albanese Labor government to achieve better outcomes for people with disability. The minister for the NDIS is one of those people, the Hon. Bill Shorten. I spoke with him today to already start spelling out our vision, one that we have been working on collaboratively over the past three years since the 2019 federal election.

We spoke very shortly after that, and we vowed that we would make sure that both of us were in the chairs so that we were able to do something for people with disability after the 2022 elections. We are pinching ourselves today that we can actually start bringing to fruition these incredible goals we have already talked about with people with lived experience, people who have been reaching out to us for the past few years.

The NDIS is such an important piece of social infrastructure. We simply cannot afford to keep getting this wrong. It will make better and much bigger differences to people's lives once it is working properly for those who use it. We have a profound obligation to get it right, and I will work day and night to ensure that we actually do get it right.

At last, we have a state and a federal government that share a sincere and pressing commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and that will work alongside one another to implement Voice, Treaty and Truth both in our state and in our nation. Another conversation I had overnight was with the Hon. Linda Burney, who is the first Aboriginal woman to be the federal Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and backed up by the incredible Hon. Pat Dodson. I am just excited to watch this progress over the next few years and again work with the Hon. Kyam Maher, my friend in the other house. I have spoken about him a number of times doing this incredible work here. It is about time. Time for talk is over.

We will ensure that our programs and the funding we dedicate to them are making meaningful differences where it is most needed. There are just a few areas where South Australians will enjoy the benefits of the two tiers of Labor governments I have just mentioned. There are more who believe that no-one should be left behind, and we will back up our beliefs with ambitious policy reforms that bring meaningful change to those who need it most.

We will use the power of government spending to pursue significant transformation in our industries, our environment, our economy and in our daily lives. Globally, we are on the cusp of an energy transformation. South Australia will be a pioneer—as it should be—in clean hydrogen energy production creating good jobs, secure jobs, for people in the process.

We are on the cusp of a transport transformation. We will facilitate this transformation rather than impede it. We are an ambitious, future-focused and genuinely caring government that will never shy away from the responsibility to our community or from opportunity for our state, our economy and our people. We will show these colours with every public dollar we spend. I commend the Supply Bill to the house.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (16:59): I, too, rise to speak to the Supply Bill 2022. As a bit of background around the Supply Bill, it is introduced into parliament each year and outlines the total sum of money to be appropriated from the Consolidated Account for the Public Service of the state for the coming financial year for a period of time until the Appropriation Bill, or the budget bill, has passed through parliament, noting that the budget will be lodged here tomorrow. It is essentially a means to an end. That is exactly what it is—to keep the wheels of the state grinding along until the Appropriation Bill is passed.

For the 2022-23 financial year, the new government is seeking $6,628 million for agencies to carry out their tasks until the Appropriation Bill is introduced and passed through both houses of parliament. The amount goes across all departments and agencies that receive appropriation to ensure that the government continues working during a set supply period, which generally and is now from 1 July 2022 to 31 October 2022 or until the Appropriation Bill is passed.

The amount is calculated based on four months of actual appropriation during the previous year. For some comparisons, in 2021-22 the amount was $6,161 million. In 2020-21, the amount was $15,336 million, which was quite an extended amount. That was all around COVID measures. In 2019-20, the amount was $5,515 million. It is interesting to note that the Supply Bill does not cover funding for new projects. As I said earlier, it keeps the functions of government and public sector offices running until the Appropriation Bill comes into effect.

I fully salute democracy, but it was disappointing to end up on the opposition benches after only having one term in government. I know there were some tough times. We dealt with COVID, and I know we managed COVID better than a lot of other states would have managed it anywhere in the world, notwithstanding it had its difficulties. It did cause major difficulties. It caused a lot of upset to people. It still does, with a lot of people still being hospitalised and still catching the new variants of COVID, Omicron, etc.

It was certainly highlighted in my border community, which I previously represented before the election, on the Pinnaroo-Murrayville border. I salute what we did as the previous Marshall Liberal government in keeping the people of South Australia safe, pumping money into the economy to keep people going. Obviously, some things did not suit some people and people suffered, but we did not see 280 days of lockdown as happened in Melbourne under the Labor government over there.

What I was really proud about in the last four years of administration by the Marshall Liberal government was the money we pumped into the regions. We did work on over 4,800 kilometres of roads. We literally poured billions into schools (I think it was $1.5 billion) for the upgrade of schools to bring year 7 into high school. I think that was a great boon for this state, led by former Minister Gardner, the member for Morialta, because it gets us onstream with the rest of the nation.

One reason, apart from the fact it was sensible to go through that process, with a lot more travelling society certainly pre COVID, and I suppose a lot of internal travelling during COVID in the time before the last two years when COVID was impacting so heavily, some families toured the country and educated their children in different states. It is quite a culture shock when you have the one state where children are in a primary school instead of a high school. Obviously, there are area schools that it does not really affect, like my old school at Coomandook, but it is great that we have streamlined that process.

With health funding, we poured hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars into emergency departments across the state, and we did the build at Murray Bridge, a $7 million build complemented with a $3 million upgrade of operating theatres as well, to give a great, better service, with emergency access, for my community and for surrounding communities.

Throughout Adelaide, there were upgrades right across the board, from Flinders through to Modbury, including the works we have been doing at the Repat while in government—the Repatriation General Hospital that was closed by the former Labor administration. It was so good to go out there this morning with the veterans minister, the Hon. Geoff Brock, meeting veterans and different agencies that work for veterans for their betterment and seeing some of the projects that are happening there.

Looking at the multisports stadium that has been built—especially in light of returned veterans with injuries—and the games have been played there, such as wheelchair sports, the Invictus Games and that so on, I am so proud that we, at least, decided to look after our veteran community.

What I am also really proud of is what we delivered into local constituencies. In the seat of Hammond, which I have been proud to have the privilege to represent for four terms and now into my fifth term, over $2 million of state government spending came in. That has been complemented with at least $1 billion of private spending going into different projects and, obviously, one of the biggest ones is the Thomas Foods build on the Mannum Road from Murray Bridge.

Sometimes you have to find a silver lining out of a disaster, and the silver lining out of the disaster that was the fire that happened on 3 January 2018, when the plant burnt down at Murray Bridge, was the opportunity for Darren Thomas and his team to have a look at what they could do into the future in getting the greenfield site for the food processing industry.

It took a long time to line up all the ducks, and I am proud to be part of a government that stood by Thomas's and contributed $14 million to community infrastructure funding alongside $10 million of federal money from the Morrison government with the assistance of Tony Pasin, the re-elected member for Barker, putting $24 million towards that community infrastructure. That has provided the road train turnoff into Thomas Foods, the 2.2-kilometre roadway—it is a public roadway because we paid for it—and also the ability to assist in connecting water supplies, power supplies and gas supplies. This plant, when fully operational, will employ 2,000 people and there will be 4½ thousand jobs augmented behind that, so 6½ thousand jobs are coming off this one project.

Alongside that, in Tintinara, in the member for MacKillop's electorate, is the Thomas Foods Feedlot, which is being doubled in size. It will not be far off completion because they have to have cattle coming out of there after at least 100 days' feed for the meatworks that will come into a scaled operation probably in November/December this year. At the moment, just the beef line is being built, so there will be at least 350 jobs plus directly involved in that.

It was great to take members of my team out there to see a build that will be the most modern food processing facility in the world when it is finished. Some of the technology going in there is just amazing: a lot of robotic work, cold rooms and storage rooms 10 storeys high. There will be a lot of work for technicians, and obviously a lot of work for people on the floors, where they will have the latest technology to make processing of beef and lamb very efficient.

This goes alongside a whole lot of private sector spending, including on chicken sheds that are at least $1 million per build, Costa Mushrooms and their $90 million upgrade and the $50 million build of a packing plant out at Parilla for Zerella Fresh, which used to be in my electorate, and I know the member for MacKillop spoke about them. It goes on and on and on.

As has been said, there is certainly pressure on housing in Murray Bridge. No longer can you see a house price of, say, $280,000 and try to negotiate it down. You have to literally add probably somewhere around $30,000 or $40,000 to make sure you can acquire the property. That is across regional areas across the state, and it is great to see populations coming there. It is an issue, but we are dealing with it. People are investing and hundreds of houses are going in. There is also an issue with the supply of the hardware to build the houses, whether it is reo rod or whether it is just simple things like taps in bathrooms. Everything is in short supply, and I know, for instance, some things have doubled in price.

Going through some of the over $200 million worth of funding that has come into Hammond since March 2018, when we came into power, there was the restoration of the facade of the Milang butter factory that cost $20,000. We put $400,000 into a major upgrade at Bremerton Wines and $300,000 into Lake Breeze Wines. We put $3 million into the Eastern Fleurieu School Langhorne Creek upgrade, which was a much-needed upgrade to get new classrooms, and $197,500 to the Callington Recreation Community Centre.

The government invested $4.55 million into the Monarto Safari Park, which went alongside over $11 million of federal money, and I was very proud to stand alongside Tony Pasin, the member for Barker, to open that in recent weeks. We put $36 million into the Old Murray Bridge upgrade, and that has just started. There has been a little bit of angst in the community about the bridge being reduced to one lane. I made a very frank comment to the local media. I said, 'Well, you either have one lane or you don't have a bridge open. It's pretty simple stuff.' But it does work; I try to go over it every time I have the other option coming from Coomandook to go around the Swanport Bridge, and I think the longest I have waited for the lane to open is four minutes.

I have already indicated that we have put $14 million into Thomas Foods, and that will be several hundred million by the time they finish the project. We invested $7.5 million into the Gifford Hill racecourse. We have already talked about the Soldiers Memorial Hospital emergency department. There was another proud moment locally as $20 million went into the Murray Bridge High School and some magnificent classrooms for year 7s and 8s. We also put $5 million into the Murray Bridge North Primary School upgrade, and that is not far away.

The government also invested $360,000 into the Murray Bridge Regional Rowing Centre and $1 million into the Murray Bridge swimming pool upgrade. We put $5 million into the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass Planning Study and $5 million into the Murray Bridge to South-East Links Business Case, which includes looking at the study of the duplication of the Swanport Bridge. That is a much-needed project. It is not just about the bridge: it is about works further south around Tailem Bend, over the railway bridge there. The Beston foods Jervois plant upgrade at $2½ million assisted with their lactoferrin plant, which is the high value-add product coming out of milk.

The Tailem Bend netball courts received just short of $100,000. We put a new CFS station at Tailem Bend, which was just over $1 million. The Karoonda swimming pool was a project that kept on going, sadly, but we got there and had it built for $1.6 million. If the government are going out there to open it, I would not mind being involved because that was one heck of a thing to get across the line. There were a lot of barriers put in place along the way. The Karoonda District Football Club upgrade was $258,000 and the Lameroo swimming pool regeneration cost $850,000.

We put $2 million into the Zerella Fresh/Parilla potatoes packing facility. Another one is the Browns Well Highway and Ngarkat Highway upgrade, linking Loxton through Pinnaroo down to Bordertown. It cost $42 million to get those back to 110 km/h, and I worked with the members for Chaffey and MacKillop on that project.

The redevelopment of the Kalimna Hostel at Strathalbyn at a cost of $3 million has been budgeted for, and I will certainly be following up on that with the new government. It very much needed to be used for the Strathalbyn community and their healthcare needs. There is also the Strathalbyn and District Aged Care Facility upgrade of $16 million. That was a fantastic upgrade at Strathalbyn, with 24 memory-unit beds that have gone in and 12 other aged-care beds. It is a magnificent facility. I have not had the chance to go in there yet.

The Mannum Community College new STEM building, CAD lab and senior school upgrade cost $3.9 million. There is the Strathalbyn campus of the Eastern Fleurieu School upgrade at $1.8 million and the new underground electricity line into the town of Bowhill at a cost of $350,000. There were other projects as well.

While we are talking about Bowhill, Bowhill Engineering is based there and they employ somewhere north of 40 people, I think. It is just by the river, a beautiful place, and that undergrounding assisted both the town and the company—their lives and their processes—to get better productivity. They built half of the overpasses that are at Darlington, on the north-south connector project.

While I am finishing up on the north-south connector project, I am stunned to hear the interesting commentary from the Minister for Transport, the member for West Torrens, in regard to the plan being tipped over so that $1.1 billion can be pushed back past the forward estimates. We were well on track with that hard piece, the piece we were left with to look after on the north-south connector, where the tunnels were involved, the close to $10 billion, which we instigated the initial work on, and now for some magical reason, even though the same department said, 'Yes, this can happen. This can all happen,' all of a sudden it is saying, 'Oh no, it can't.' I think there has been a bit of pressure applied by the new Minister for Transport.

It is interesting to note that the executive left—it looks like she was sacked—the other day. We will be watching that project with interest because we need to get that connector done. There is so much work we need to do across the state with regional roads. We need to look at $3 billion to do the duplication for the Dukes Highway, $3 billion for the Sturt Highway and we have to look at projects like the duplication of the Port Augusta Highway as well. Let's work towards making it safer and more efficient. That is the other thing with the north-south connector: it has to be built far more quickly than what has been progressed by the Labor government to get those efficiency gains.

I fully support the passing of the Supply Bill and we will look with interest when the budget is brought down tomorrow in this house.

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (17:19): I rise to indicate my support for the Supply Bill presently before the house. I would like to take this opportunity to discuss what we look forward to achieving following our election commitments to the people of South Australia.

Mr Acting Speaker, please allow me to start small and start locally. The Malinauskas government has committed to a new self-cleaning toilet block at Ballara Park Reserve. The reserve is co-located with a kindergarten and, as such, has high use by young families. Those of you who have cared for very young children will know that when a child needs a toilet, they pretty much need it now. This work will be in addition to the upgrade of the park by the Marion council and the recently elected Albanese Labor government.

The election of a Malinauskas state government and Albanese federal government also enables the funding delivery for the upgrade of the Warradale Park Tennis Club. This funding will support the Warradale Park Tennis Club to improve its venue facilities as well as ensuring the clubrooms meet occupational health and safety requirements. The club will be in a great position to continue to meet the needs of its members and its guests, grow the club, and maintain and foster close community ties.

An important aspect of the Warradale Park Tennis Club is that it is not exclusively for the use of tennis players and their families but also welcomes other community groups to utilise its facilities. The upgrade project will also enable the club to be sustainable in the future by enabling it to increase its revenue base by hiring out the proposed all weather multiuse first floor, which I might add has beautiful views across Warradale and to the Hills.

A much larger project to be delivered in partnership with the federal Labor government is the on/off ramp at Majors Road, a project that the previous Liberal government was paralysed by. Congestion on Brighton Road has long been a concern for the residents of Gibson, an issue which the previous government was unable to deliver a solution for. The on/off ramp is a critical piece of infrastructure that the member for Davenport, our federal member for Kingston, the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, and I are pleased to support. The ramp will make an enormous difference to the residents of the southern suburbs.

A key priority for this government is to deliver greater capacity in our healthcare system. The Flinders Medical Centre services the people of Gibson, so the joint commitment between our state government and a federal Labor government for a significant upgrade is most welcome. The much-needed $400 million expansion includes:

136 beds;

an upgrade and expansion of mental health facilities at the Margaret Tobin Centre;

a brand-new eye surgery clinic;

expanded medical imaging services; and

an expanded intensive care unit.

This extra capacity of beds and additional nurses and doctors will help to reduce ambulance ramping, which goes hand in hand with our commitment for a long overdue upgrade to the Marion ambulance station.

Another hot issue, which has been raised with me time and time again throughout my campaign and during my first months as the member for Gibson including at a planning meeting I attended just last Wednesday night, is planning. Adelaide is consistently ranked among the best places in the world to live, but without a bold vision and strong planning laws in place, we risk losing the character of our streets and neighbourhoods.

Good planning and urban development are about finding a balance between growth and livability. When a three-storey apartment block is built over your back fence with windows overlooking your yard, and it means you no longer feel comfortable enjoying the garden you spent years cultivating, then it has gone too far. When the beautiful old gums are cut down and you have lost your lovely vista and the possums and black cockatoos are forced to find a new home, it has gone too far.

This government will repair the damage caused by the previous Liberal government's failed implementation of the new Planning and Design Code. We will commission an implementation review of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act and the Planning and Design Code to ensure planning decisions encourage a more livable and sustainable long-term growth strategy for greater Adelaide and our regions.

It will address key concerns identified in our consultations with industry groups and local communities, including protecting the character and heritage of our local communities; ensuring greater tree canopy coverage and green open space; providing certainty to business, industry and communities by implementing appropriate design standards; and improving the e-planning system and processes.

The poorly managed rollout of the Planning and Design Code by the Marshall Liberal government cut short public consultation with residents, business, industry and local government. As a result, the character of our established suburbs is being erased with an increase in urban infill as poor designs infiltrate our streets. On-street parking increases and the loss of green space creates heat spots in our neighbourhood. I have heard over and over the safety concerns of residents about the increase of on-street parking. I have literally felt the temperature differences in the streets and driveways as I have doorknocked areas of Gibson with high levels of urban infill.

This Labor government will ensure future developments provide a minimum of one off-street car park for every dwelling and two car parks for dwellings with two or more bedrooms. The pressure of urban infill impacts our streets and our neighbourhoods, making urban infill synonymous with congestion and inconvenience. We need urban infill to meet the demands of our growing population, but development must not compete with community; it must serve our community.

In addition, this Labor government will work with the Green Adelaide Board to prioritise projects that actively green our neighbourhoods. This will support biodiversity as well as quality of life for families who should not have to travel to enjoy the outdoors. We will ensure we have Australian best practice for tree loss regulation and a targeted plan for tree planting. From small projects in our local parks to upgrading our sporting facilities, to reducing congestion on Brighton Road, as well as thoughtful planning, I look forward to the upcoming budget and seeing this Malinauskas government improve the lives of South Australians, in particular the people of Gibson. I commend the bill to the house.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Hon L.W.K. Bignell): There seems a bit of repetition today. We are once again going from the member for Gibson to the member for Colton. Take it away.

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (17:27): You know what they say: when you are onto a good thing you do not break it. I rise today to support the second reading of the Supply Bill. The passing of the Supply Bill through this house is a reasonably uncontroversial convention of our parliament. To pass this bill provides, in essence, stopgap funding for the operation of government and the delivery of public services prior to the Appropriation Bill making its way to and through this place. If approved by the parliament, over $6.6 billion will be provided to this end.

To be honest, I have always found this process slightly unnerving no matter which side of the chamber I have sat on. For the lack of a better comparison, we are essentially providing a blank cheque to government to continue business as usual before the formalised budget and Appropriation Bill pass this place. Passing $6.6 billion to be expended with less than a page of detail still seems like a little bit of an oddity.

It must be said, though, that our process and convention in this manner stand somewhat superior to other jurisdictions. You only have to look across to the US federal government. What at times seems like every six to 12 months, they face another government shutdown, when non-essential government workers are furloughed, leaving those workers and their families without an income and ensuring name-calling, finger-pointing and gridlocking Congress.

Let there be no doubt that we are in a strong economic position, particularly compared with where we were when Labor was last in power. The state has recorded near-record job numbers, with the highest number of South Australians employed in our state's history during this last term of government.

The state has also recorded near-record levels of unemployment; strong economic growth, and even nation-leading economic growth, something that was unimaginable in the early 2000s; record levels of trade; and nation-leading business confidence. According to the NAB business survey, we still have retained that position; however, we did drop 11 points in the most recent survey monthly results post the election—something that we would be keeping a very close eye on as we move forward. All this change, this economic transformation, was achieved despite a worldwide pandemic and some of the most difficult and uncertain times that our state has faced in its history.

I have reflected in this place previously on the resilience of my local community over that period, and I am incredibly proud of the way my community handled the COVID period, supporting each other and building resilience in our local clubs and our service organisations. While at times, when we look back on it now, it does seem like a little bit of a blur, I honestly think we will look back and be proud of how we performed as a state compared with other jurisdictions.

In the time leading up to the election, the former Treasurer was at pains to make it clear that a return to more normalised spending was going to be necessary moving forward. It is clear from the most recent Mid-Year Budget Review that the former Treasurer projected a quick pathway back to surplus for the state government accounts, winding back the spending that had been necessary to carry the economy through COVID. In the 2022-23 Mid-Year Budget Review a modest $102 million surplus was forecast; for the coming 2023-24 financial year, a $666 million surplus; and, in 2024-25, a $537 million surplus.

These positions improved on the final advice that was provided to the Treasurer in March 2022, just prior to the state election, with the coming 2022-23 financial year revised up to near $140 million surplus; 2023-24 up $43 million to a $709 million surplus; and the then final out year of 2024-25, retaining a forecast of a $537 million surplus. There is a reason that these surpluses were projected, that is, to ensure that we were in the best possible position to control our debt position moving forward. Our commitments through the election process were modest for a reason.

It has been said in this place already, and it is clear to the people of South Australia, that the Labor Party made approximately $3.1 billion worth of new spending commitments prior to the state election. This is no small number. If we reflect on the past two years of the pandemic, I do not think anyone would argue that the approach taken was in line with the advice from key economic institutions, both in this country and more broadly.

The stimulus was required, it saved jobs and livelihoods and allowed our state to rebound better than nearly any other jurisdiction in the world. There was a push to expand balance sheets and to underpin spending of productive infrastructure that benefited the economy. It kept a sector that was largely able to operate due to its nature up and running, and it benefited our whole community.

I also reflect on the number of instances where members now on the other side called for more spending over that two-year period. Unfortunately, the outcome of the election was a change in government. With that, we will see if those projected surpluses remain in the forward years, if perhaps infrastructure projects are pushed out to free up committed state funding—perhaps—if significant cuts appear, how achievable will these be and will they be met?

We know that last time the Labor Party were in government we frequently had budgets set for departments that were never met, never realised. There was always a difference between the budget and the actuals. They certainly do not have a strong record in this area. As they say in the classics, times are changing, and it is certainly that way in regard to economic conditions we are facing here in Australia and more broadly around the world.

The significance of the $3.1 billion of new funding commitments from the Labor Party in the face of these significant economic headwinds is important to reflect on. Inflation is now rearing its head after many years when it had not needed to be a consideration. With a significant jump recently to 4.7 per cent in our state and 5.1 per cent nationally, and with commentators signalling that this may be around for quite some to come, the time to consider the impact of that is now, not in the next budget.

Each and every South Australian will feel the pinch. Inflation at its most basic means that we pay more for everyday things. Services become more expensive and no sector is immune. South Australian families are already feeling the pinch, whether that is the price of petrol to get the kids to soccer practice, electricity for cooking and getting dinner on the table, or bread and milk—just the absolute basics and necessities are going up under this government.

Will some of the money in the Supply Bill that is being put to the government to expend be put towards cost-of-living help for everyday South Australians? We do not know yet. As I have already mentioned, we pass the Supply Bill in good faith and without knowledge. I welcome the fact that the Treasurer, in his words, made a policy decision to keep government fees and charges increases to approximately 2 per cent this year. This was backed up again by the Premier in a recent speech confirming the policy decision of the Labor Party to keep fees and charges increases at near half the level of inflation.

I will, however, provide a contrast that on this side of the house our record on reducing costs for everyday South Australians in the suburbs has gone beyond minimising increases. We returned the remission to the ESL saving the average family in South Australia $184; sports vouchers were doubled and the program expanded to cover more sports; and the CTP reductions on cars—all these are examples of real-world savings, assisting with the cost of living, and reductions for South Australian families.

Inflation is also going to put pressure on this state budget and those moving forward, and it will do so on two fronts: the first is that the goods used by government in the delivery of services and the day-to-day running of government are going to be more expensive; secondly, there is going to be increased pressure on public sector wages. The Treasurer at this point says he has things in hand—we will wait and see. 'Temper your expectation' is the message that is being sent out, but it is all hunky-dory for now.

There is also a third front where pressure will be put on the budget, but to this point the Labor Party has refused to acknowledge that it is a real thing. Labor's election costings were cast, I assume, in a period before the last election. As I mentioned, no sector is ever immune from inflation. The cost of infrastructure—say, the Majors Road off-ramp as an example, or perhaps the north-south corridor—these projects get more expensive as time passes in the current environment. To ignore that fact is economically ignorant. Every South Australian is aware and every South Australian business is aware, but we have the South Australian Labor Party asserting that somehow they are immune from inflation.

In one of the most bizarre budget drops I think I have seen in recent times, it was made clear that the Treasurer had just learnt that there was no money tree at the back of Treasury. I think that in itself should send a shiver down the back of South Australians because it goes to the narrative and the fact that we are back to the same old Labor in South Australia.

Given that this is the Supply Bill and one of my first substantive contributions as the state's new shadow treasurer, I thought I would take a second to reflect on why the economy being strong is so important for all of us. It is about kids, our kids, and it is about jobs, but primarily it is about opportunity. A strong economy creates opportunity and for the first time in years we have a groundswell of interesting, high-paying jobs being created in South Australia, and that is a legacy of the former government that we will be very proud of for some time to come. Lot Fourteen is a totem to that change and that success.

There are so many of us in here who are mothers or fathers. All we want is the best for our kids. Not every one of them is going to want to stay at home for their whole lives. They will of course want to venture out, explore new things, further themselves and follow their passions, but there is one thing that remains true: we want South Australia to be a place where those opportunities that they seek are still here, so whether they choose to return or never to leave, those opportunities are here in South Australia as we move forward.

To do that, we need to have a low cost of living and a low cost of doing business in South Australia because fundamentally those are the things that make us a livable city—and we are. We are the third most livable city in the world and the most livable city in Australia at the moment. We have to keep that momentum going. It is decisions like pushing out projects and committing more than we have that potentially put a stop to those things, that potentially inhibit growth for our state and that potentially scare off investors who were happy to come and invest their capital in South Australia. Decisions of government have real-world consequences. We are always mindful of what those mean not just from an economic perspective but for South Australian families practically.

I want to end my contribution tonight—I know everyone is keen potentially to wind down on this lovely Wednesday evening the day before the budget—by making a statement that I think has always rung true in politics and in life more generally as well: I believe that the people of South Australia can smell excuses and tricky business a mile away. I fundamentally believe that. No amount of shouting, of conflating, of behaviour unbecoming to this house will sway public opinion. It never has and it never will.

I thank my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to serve in the shadow cabinet. I look forward to the work that will be done over the next four years as we go from providing critique of what the current government are implementing and shifting, as we get closer to the coming election, to providing a new, exciting, fresh and youthful vision for what we see South Australia becoming into the future. With those words, I return to the beginning and add my support to the Supply Bill 2022 passing.

Mrs PEARCE (King) (17:42): I also rise to speak on the Supply Bill. Throughout my campaign, I promised my community that I would be a fierce voice for them in this place, and I am glad to report that I have hit the ground running. Constituents of King were determined to ensure we prioritised health and put access to services back on the map in the north-east. They were passionate about seeing the Adelaide 500 on our streets for all the economic benefits it brings, and they mobilised to stop cuts to vital public services like public transport and to save Modbury Service SA.

Not only did I get out and listen to the stories of those impacted by such important matters, I fought alongside them to bring about the community wins they were so desperate to see realised. I am now here and proud to be standing alongside members who share my drive to continue delivering on our promises of a better future for our state because we want to ensure we do better and do not return to business as usual as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to what we will achieve as a united team over our term.

What is at the front of all our minds in my neighbourhood is the desire to see more beds in hospitals in the north and north-east, bringing care closer to home for the many people in my community and easing pressure on our EDs. We understand why it is important and are committed to investing in the Lyell McEwin and Modbury Hospital.

At Modbury, we are committed to fully funding and opening 48 permanent extra subacute beds, saving Woodleigh House by rebuilding and expanding the facility, taking mental health beds to a total of 44, as well as establishing for the first time in the north-east a cancer centre in Modbury Hospital so people can get the treatment they need closer to home.

When it comes to the Lyell Mac, I am pleased to share that we have built on our pledge. Just this week, I was excited to join the Premier, the Treasurer, the Minister for Health, the member for Florey and the member for Playford at the Lyell McEwin Hospital to share that we are doubling the number of extra beds pledged from 24 to 48. These extra beds will enable patients to be admitted, moved into a bed more quickly and provided the care needed in an appropriate environment.

I am also proud of the local commitments we have made to my community. In One Tree Hill, we plan to invest in the much-loved Magill recreation park to help address the significant levels of flooding the oval has been experiencing, create two new soccer pitches, a car park and improve entry and exit points to Magill Road—all factors that have been important for both the users of Magill and the local school just across the road.

We also intend to upgrade the equally valued Tilley Recreation Park, which will support not only locals who use the space but the Tea Tree Gully City Soccer Club, Golden Grove Little Athletics, Tea Tree Players Theatre, Golden Grove Boxing Club, Golden Grove Tennis Club and Road Runners Softball Club just to name a few. I am particularly excited to help see a space created for a community dog park at Tilley, something that was positively received many times on the doors when out and about in my community.

I know how much sports and recreation mean to my community and that is why we are very excited to get started with delivering these upgrades. I am equally proud of our focus on public transport, roads and intersections in our community. We have committed to delivering a suite of upgrades in Salisbury Heights and surrounds to local roads and intersections, improving traffic flow and making our commutes safer.

We are also committed to installing 20 bus shelters across the neighbourhood. I was not content with merely helping to save our stops; I wanted to build on the standard of public transport we have in the north and the north-east. I have already engaged with my neighbourhood to identify locations that are most in need of stops and look forward to working with my colleagues to progress the matter further.

As we all know, road safety can often be of particular concern around schools. I know too well traffic safety concerns surrounding Salisbury East High, particularly with the transfer of year 7 students into the school. That is why we will be working to deliver an effective and safe traffic management solution to improve traffic congestion on Smith Road and Gloucester Avenue, road safety for students, parents, staff and local residents, and parking conditions for the school community.

We are also committed to backing the selfless volunteers from my community who put themselves on the line to keep others in our community safe during and after extraordinary weather conditions. I am talking about the lovely people at Salisbury State Emergency Service, and I am thrilled to know that a Malinauskas Labour government has committed to helping them upgrade their information and communications technology systems.

We all recall the significant hailstorm we had last October, but did you know that our community was one of the hardest hit? I understand that Salisbury SES had over 750 callouts of the total 1,200 made within a 48-hour period, which is an extraordinary ask to meet. Just this week, my community was hit hard again by extreme weather, with Salisbury SES once again heeding the call. They worked through the day and into the night to help address the many incidents reported.

I actually visited them this week with the Minister for Emergency Services, the member for Cheltenham, to thank them personally for all they do for our community and to thank neighbouring SES members who came to aid their efforts. By committing to this necessary upgrade, we build capacity for the Salisbury SES to increase safety for their volunteers and the broader community they serve.

We are also preparing the next generation with a bold ambition for the future. We know that 25 per cent of Australian 19 year olds are not completing high school and that 20 per cent will never receive a minimum qualification of a certificate III in vocational training. These completion and educational attainment rates are leaving us to fall behind the most advanced nations.

While under previous state Labor governments we increased school completion from 50 to 75 per cent, we have remained stuck around 72 to 75 per cent since 2016. We have a plan to improve that so we are not falling behind other nations but instead are up-front and setting the pace.

With our plan to build five new tech colleges around the state, we are working to ensure that we prepare every child with the skills and education they need to become self-sufficient adults. By working with local high schools so that young people can still complete their SACE, these technical colleges will also equip students with trade qualifications so they can go straight into work should they choose. I have already been out and about engaging with interested members of the community about this investment, and I am so excited with the direction it is taking.

Come this December, we will have the Adelaide 500 back on the streets of Adelaide. Of course, this commitment was very much appreciated among my constituency, who loved the race but, like so many South Australians, they were impacted by the former Marshall Liberal government's decision to terminate the race with no replacement. In fact, it left some constituents in my electorate wondering if they would even have work still, so significant was the impact the axing would have on local jobs and businesses in our state.

I am glad to see it coming back because I know how important this event is to our economy and, more importantly, to the people in this state who are supported by the race. Whether it be taking photos of the action, helping to set up and pack down or, for those working in our hospitality and the hotel sector, the Adelaide 500 provided security that the work would be there, supporting some people who relied on the event to get through the quieter months.

With the tender process to open this week, it builds hope for the many people who relied on the event after its now nearly three-year absence. This process marks another step in our journey to bringing back the race to the streets of Adelaide, alongside the economic activity and jobs the race brings to our state. I am absolutely revved for this December.

All these commitments were made because they were clear priorities for my local community. I am determined to see them implemented because I know my community wants health taken seriously, better education pathways for our children and the Adelaide 500 returned to the streets of Adelaide. I intend to be a strong voice for my local community, and I am glad to fulfil my role in a Malinauskas Labor government that is not only taking the concerns of my electorate seriously but working hard to deliver on its commitments for the betterment of our state.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr Basham.

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