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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-03-05 Daily Xml
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Cost of Living

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (14:15): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier stand by his comments from both 3 February and 25 February? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr COWDREY: In a sit-down interview with the ABC published on 3 February the Premier said, and I quote: 'The cost-of-living challenge is one we will address' and cost of living remains, I quote: 'top of mind.' On 25 February, the Premier said that frequently when politicians try to reduce living costs, and I quote: 'nine times out of 10, it's all bullshit.'

The SPEAKER: I am not sure that that is parliamentary, but I am going to turn to the Premier.

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni: The room is full of nuance.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Unley is on a final warning.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Newland! The chamber will come to order. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:16): I might just take the opportunity to read precisely what I said because, of course, the quote provided by the shadow Treasurer, not surprisingly, is selective quoting.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Let me read the quote as reported in the Adelaide Advertiser, as reported by Paul Starick, who was in the room and actually knows what I said. Allow me to read the direct quote:

We talk about a cost-of-living crisis on a frequent basis and, more often than not, you get a politician saying: 'We're going to try and reduce the price of petrol. We're gonna try and reduce the price of groceries', and nine times out of ten, it's all [BS]…

And it is, because the government doesn't control the price of groceries or the price of petrol, and that is completely different—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Colton is warned. Member for Florey, order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The member for Colton, who submits himself to the people of South Australia as wanting to be the next Treasurer, is now telling South Australians through his interjections, suggesting that we should be setting the price of groceries. But be advised—

Members interjecting:

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

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for West Torrens! The member for Morialta under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The standing order against responding to interjections isn't just to prevent interjections, it is to prevent misrepresentation as same—and also, debate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! That may be. The member the subject of the commentary is not on his feet and there has been a good deal of interjection. I will listen carefully. I do have the standing order to hand.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Let the shadow treasurer of South Australia go to the next election and tell every small business owner that he is going to walk through the front door—

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

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and start setting their prices. Let him!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The volume of interjections to my right and left make it difficult to hear the member for Morialta, who is addressing the Chair under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98 goes to debate; it goes to preventing people from using rhetorical devices to debate rather than providing an answer to the substance of the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is some merit in the point of order that has been raised with me. There is some latitude given to ministers. It does not invite debate per se; it might invite a degree of context. I fear that we might have extended beyond context.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: This government is committed to address the cost-of-living crisis in two ways. The first way is what we can actually control—for instance, providing the largest package of cost-of-living relief that we have seen in a state government's history in South Australia. First and foremost, what we have done is sought to insulate the impact of rising bills on pensioners and those on low incomes in South Australia, which is what a good Labor government should do.

But the big long-term challenge and all the big gains that are there to be made to address the cost-of-living crisis are actually about improving the real wages, the real incomes of working families in South Australia, and the way we do that is through high-quality jobs, secure jobs, making sure that the next generation of South Australians are equipped with the skills and the knowledge to be able to participate in the economy of tomorrow, investing in skills, investing in industries that move us up the value chain of wages, improving productivity.

That is how you address a cost-of-living crisis in a sustainable way that puts the state on a footing to generate new wealth that is then shared amongst as many people as possible. That is a serious policy and that is exactly what we were talking about in Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie as part of the State Prosperity Project. Be under no misapprehension. This is a serious government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —with a serious ambition, backed up by a serious policy to make a difference.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Colton, order! The member for Unley is on a final warning, joined by the member for Colton.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is called to order.

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