House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-11 Daily Xml

Contents

State Economy

Ms O'HANLON (Dunstan) (14:25): My question is to the Premier. Is the Premier aware of any positive reports regarding the South Australian economy?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier, Minister for Defence and Space Industries) (14:25): I want to thank the member for Dunstan. The member for Dunstan has a lot of constituents in her electorate who are hardworking businesspeople, small business people, who employ a lot of South Australians and she, like so many other members of parliament, more broadly, understand that that is an important part of the economy.

We said from the outset that we sought very deliberately to be a pro-business Labor government, and that is yielding dividends. I am very heartened to see that this morning the Business Council of Australia has released its Regulation Rumble report, which it does on an annual basis, and, for the third year in a row—not a once-off, but for the third year in a row—South Australia is the number one jurisdiction in the country to be able to do business. Three years in a row. The shadow—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Flinders is on his final warning, and members on my right will come to order. I can't hear the Premier.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The shadow treasurer mentioned payroll tax—and it ranks every state and territory in the country on payroll tax—and who is number one? South Australia. There are a range of—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Cost and regulation, number one. But the area of policy that we are most pleased about that comes out of this is the reference to the reforms that this government has made, particularly around housing that are making a material difference in that South Australia now has the fastest housing growth in the nation. It is our investment in water infrastructure, it is our moving of the urban growth boundary, it is our record land releases, it is our resistance of the nimbyism we see occupying the opposition benches that is actually resulting in getting development happening.

I know that the member for Bragg in particular has got a tried and true record of running to whatever local protest he can wrap his hands around. I was very pleased to be down at Glenside this morning with the Business Council of Australia—not an organisation that sits around and says, 'Right, let's cherrypick Labor governments and do them favours.' I was there with the Business Council of Australia at Glenside, where the member for Bragg loves opposing the government's approval of developers to get housing happening. We know your record; we know the member for Bragg's position.

Well, let the contrast be seen and known that on this side of the house we are in support of getting new housing supply, we are in support of future generations getting access to a home, and those opposite want to play the nimby politics. Those opposite are in favour of the sorts of land tax reforms that are retrospective in nature. We on this side of the house remember the land tax reforms that they presided over. It's the cost of doing business, not just nationally competitive but globally competitive, it's getting more housing stock in the market, it's making the reforms that make a difference to the lives of South Australians. Three years in a row—the record speaks for itself—and South Australia and the rest of the country is paying attention.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my right, you are pretty much all on your final warning. You are being far too rowdy, particularly the Minister for Trade who has been doing it all day. Should I chuck him out?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Alright, we will give one more chance, but no more warnings.