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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-05-17 Daily Xml
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Bills

Supply Bill 2023

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 16 May 2023.)

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:34): I will continue my remarks from yesterday. We are providing $800,000 to Grandcarers SA to enable this important advocacy body to support and advocate for grandparents who are performing a primary caring role for their grandchildren.

We are also providing $800,000 in additional funding to the CREATE Foundation to ensure that the voices of children and young people are amplified as they contemplate care and all that comes with that experience. Our government recognises that the right services are desperately needed at the time young people transition from care into independent living, so we have also invested an additional $5.8 million into post-care support.

Due to the fierce, tireless campaigning of a group of activist women, South Australia became the first place in the world where women could vote and stand for parliament. Today, although it is persistent, South Australia has a lower gender pay gap than the overall national gap. Women's participation in the South Australian workforce is also higher than ever, and 57 per cent of South Australian public sector executives are women. However, whilst we have made significant strides towards achieving gender equality, there is still much to be done.

Women continue to have lower levels of workforce participation compared to men, are paid less on average and are under-represented in leadership roles and in certain industries. Women are also at greater risk of experiencing sexual harassment and domestic, family and sexual violence. We are strongly committed to addressing gender inequality and preventing violence against women, both a cause and consequence of gender inequality.

We have worked tirelessly to economically and socially advance women and advance towards ending gendered violence. In working towards gender equality, our government is proudly investing in industries that predominantly employ women, which were deeply impacted by the pandemic. We have established the Gender Pay Gap Taskforce, re-established the Premier's Women's Directory, re-established the Women in Sport Taskforce and funded a $4 million Women in Business package that is providing a suite of programs that will be made available to South Australian female-owned businesses.

We know that gender inequality is the biggest driver of domestic violence, a scourge our community continues to confront. Amongst a range of legislative changes, we are providing funds for preventative actions and options for recovery that help women stay safe. We have rightfully restored $800,000 of funding to the Women's Domestic Violence Court Assistance Service and we have reinstated the $1.2 million of funding to Catherine House that was cruelly cut by the former government.

Catherine House is an incredible service offering a safe and secure place for women experiencing homelessness, often as a result of an experience of domestic violence. It is utterly shameful that any government would consider cutting funds from this extraordinary organisation, and I am so proud that we have acted to restore those funds.

Last year, we launched the Family Safety Framework portal to provide a secure online space that supports the risk assessment, referral and case management processes of the Family Safety Framework. Information is shared across 17 regional areas of the state through family safety meetings, ensuring that representatives respond to risks of harm in real time. This has been a significant step forward for the safety of people experiencing violence, especially in regional areas.

Through state government investment, we have launched an incredibly important public awareness campaign targeting young people to see the signs of coercive control, a pattern of insidious behaviour that can include threats, humiliation, stalking and manipulation and is used to erode a victim survivor's confidence or ability to escape an abusive relationship.

The See The Signs campaign is rolling out across various platforms and can also be seen on various structures around the metropolitan area. We are seeing excellent engagement with the campaign across these platforms, resulting in thousands of visits to the campaign website that shares information for those who may be experiencing this behaviour. This campaign, of course, sits alongside our government's steadfast commitment to introduce legislation to criminalise coercive control.

The campaign follows an extraordinary public forum, where attendees heard from remarkable advocates Sue and Lloyd Clarke, who bravely shared the story of their experience with this insidious form of domestic violence, which culminated in the devastating murder of their daughter Hannah and their three beautiful grandchildren by Hannah's ex-partner. Hannah had been subjected to coercive and controlling behaviour prior to this horrific crime. We understand that in 99 per cent of domestic violence homicides coercive control is a feature of the relationship prior to that horrendous act.

Sport is also a powerful driver in our work to advance gender equality. It is a key way to further conversations on a range of issues our community confronts. Our government's $1 million investment will ensure that the FIFA Women's World Cup creates a lasting legacy through our funding of initiatives to advance women's leadership and participation in sport and domestic violence awareness.

Like many in this house, I cannot wait for the FIFA Women's World Cup to come to life in our state in just under 70 days' time. Together with community, we campaigned hard from opposition to ensure that Adelaide was one of the host cities. This is going to be an incredibly exciting time for football fans, with the world's best players converging on our city, bringing with them thousands of travelling supporters who will join local fans for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

Seeing the best footballers in the world play right here in Adelaide and be celebrated for being strong, powerful, physical and talented will be transformative, especially given our investment in funding a strong program focused on growing girls' and women's participation and raising awareness about respect for women to help us build a legacy and advance gender equality throughout community clubs.

Broadly in the area of recreation, sport and racing we are committed to growing participation, ensuring clubs have access to suitable facilities, achieving equality in sport and ensuring that South Australia embraces the opportunities that come through sport, bringing people to our state and bringing people within our state together.

In the recent round of Active Club grants, we expanded the program to allow access for recreational fishing clubs to apply for funding. Our government is also proud to fund RecFish SA as an independent peak body for recreational fishers. This year, data was released that shows that in the last financial year period approximately 337,000 South Australians, or about one in four, went fishing over that period. With the funding provided to RecFish SA, the peak body will be able to work to increase this participation even further amongst women, children and people from diverse multicultural communities.

Our government's support of the excellent Sports Vouchers program saw a record take-up of vouchers throughout 2022. More than 83,000 vouchers were redeemed, saving South Australian families over $8.3 million from the costs of supporting children from reception to year 9 to engage with sport, dance or swimming.

As well as assisting families with the cost of sport, we are determined to encourage disengaged, vulnerable children and young people to participate in local structured sport. Through a partnership of the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing with the Limestone Coast LGA and West Coast youth community service, young people will be supported to participate in sport and enjoy the benefits of doing so, which will result in more physically, mentally and emotionally healthy young adults across the state.

The two programs, which will run over the next 12 months, will offer our government many learnings that can be used to expand these programs and to roll out similar projects in other areas of our state. From the grassroots through to the elite level, our government is proud to support the crucial role that sport plays in our community, encouraging healthy competition and ensuring all can enjoy those physical, mental, emotional, health and wellbeing benefits of sport and active recreation.

To support the development of our elite athletes, our government is investing in creating a world-class, high-performance sport, research and education precinct thanks to a multimillion dollar partnership between the University of South Australia and the South Australian Sports Institute. Our government will contribute $68 million toward the development of a new state-of-the-art SASI facility at Mile End, with UniSA contributing a further $20 million for capital costs of the project. This investment brings together key pieces of sporting infrastructure and creates a hub that will support athletes to perform at their best and attract national and international teams to Adelaide in their preparations for Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games.

Throughout the past year, we have also seen the opening of incredible facilities made possible through state government funding, including the State Centre of Football at Gepps Cross and the Women's Memorial Playing Fields at St Marys. I am really thrilled to see the opportunities that each of these facilities present in making sport more accessible to more people. For local sporting infrastructure needs, our government has just announced the successful recipients sharing in more than $5.5 million across 44 projects—projects that collectively secured nearly $15.5 million in co-funding, equalling a total project value of upwards of $20 million and supporting 86 full-time jobs during construction.

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:46): I also rise to speak on the Supply Bill 2023 and, in doing so, express a degree of pride in the way the current government hit the road running. The contrast in the election could not have been starker when it came to the priorities that were set out. The big ticket item from the now opposition was, of course, the basketball stadium, and we contrasted that with our commitment to investment in health. That sent a real message, especially to the regional communities that I represent, and it is a message that I am not sure has been heard yet. In my electorate, there are a number of communities that are traditionally strong Liberal-voting communities, and the message sent by the government at the time in the lead-up to the last election was not well received.

If you look at communities like Roxby Downs, Labor used to hover around the 32 per cent two-party preferred mark, but at the last election at the booth it was up around 62 per cent. Look at a place like Quorn—a strong traditional Liberal-voting area—and I only lost that booth by four votes. There was a message there to what is now the opposition when it came to priorities. It was interesting listening to some of the debate today about the health system, about investments in health infrastructure, and I will have a little bit to say about that later.

It is one thing to go to an election with a series of commitments, and then to deliver on those commitments, and that is what we are doing. I think we are going to exceed the commitments that we made to our health system in the lead-up to the election. That is not to say that the challenges are not going to go away.

The health system is incredibly challenging, for a whole range of reasons, and not least is that interaction between federal government policy and funding and state government policy and funding. We had a federal government that was not strongly committed to public health and asleep at the wheel when it comes to primary health services throughout this nation, especially in regional areas. When you have a government that potentially knew they could never do a frontal attack on Medicare, a system they have tried to unwind in the past, they do it in a roundabout sort of way. I will get on to that in a second because it has implications for what happened in this state and indeed elsewhere.

One of the proud things that we can hold up, since the election, is the employment over and above attrition of 550 additional clinicians. That is an achievement in a difficult environment when it comes to attracting and retaining staff. Of those numbers, there are 278 additional nurses, with more to come, and it is great to see the big increase in nurse training and graduations. That will benefit our system.

That does stand in contrast to the policy of voluntary redundancy that existed under the previous government. We have heard before the figure of 300 nurses leaving under the previous government in the lead-up to COVID. In addition to the nurses, there are 89 additional doctors and 141 extra ambos, a number of which will be in my electorate, and 42 allied health practitioners.

That is a good start in trying to turn around the challenges that we face. Of course, as part of all of that are the hundreds of extra beds in our public health system, a significant number of which will be mental health beds. The combination of this ongoing attraction of staff and the additional beds will over time start to have a positive impact on the way the system functions.

Things were made a lot more difficult for all state governments. It is always one of those things when you come in here and you listen to the now opposition—and I remember they were the opposition during the Weatherill years, and when the Abbott government in their first budget broke just about every promise under the sun with their attack on some of those vulnerable people in our communities.

One of the big ones was to rip up the federal-state health agreements. Each state had signed off on these particular agreements. The Rudd-Gillard government introduced a formula which took into account the real-world cost impacts on the public health system. There was a very significant increase in funding for our public health system. It is a system, as we all know, that the states have responsibility for but the federal government is an incredibly important partner and a big funder.

What did the Abbott government do? They ripped up those agreements and introduced another formula, a formula that would allow them to say, 'We are increasing funding.' They were increasing funding, and that was inevitably going to happen irrespective of the government, but the thing about their increase in funding is it fell well short of the real-world cost impacts on our public system. What it did over a period of time was strip billions of dollars out of the public health system nationally and in this state. That was in the lead-up to that big straw on the camel's back which was COVID.

I am not overly critical of the way the then state government handled COVID in this state. There might have been one or two missteps, but I think that is inevitable in a fast-evolving set of circumstances in a pandemic. I would basically give them some good marks for a lot of the work that they did. We did try to be bipartisan at the time. The state faced, as the other states did, these massive impacts as a result of the pandemic but it came on top of a system that was already seriously stressed. That is what we are trying to turn around in this state, and now we have a federal government that gets it.

As a country member, one of the things that deeply concerns me—and it is a federal responsibility—is access to GP services, a fundamental part of the primary health ecosystem in our country. GPs are incredibly important. What did the previous Abbott, Turnbull, Morrison federal governments do? They stripped $4 billion out of Medicare rebates for GPs. That had an incredibly detrimental impact on the delivery of GP services, especially to the people who could least afford health services.

When I say that the federal Liberal-National Coalition have a history of trying to undermine public health, when it comes to undermining the access to health you can go all the way back to the initial introduction of Medibank, which was scrapped under the Fraser government. The Hawke government reintroduced it in the form of Medicare. They reintroduced it so all Australians, irrespective of their income level, would have access to health services and our public health system. It was Labor that reintroduced that.

For years, the then federal opposition opposed Medicare. They were itching to unwind it again. By the time they got back into government it was an entrenched part of our system, so they could not directly attack it. But this has state implications. Ask yourself this question when it comes to our health system: if you pull out $4 billion in rebates at a GP level, what impact is that going to have? You are going to see, especially, that some of the most vulnerable people who cannot afford to pay the gap are either going to delay going to see a doctor or they are going to turn up at accident and emergency—so it has an immediate impact or a delayed impact on our public health system here in South Australia.

We have people who cannot afford to go to see the GP, so they turn up at accident and emergency—or, possibly even worse, they will not turn up. They might have chronic conditions but they cannot afford to go and see a GP, so they let it slide and by the time they do turn up to the hospital they are sicker. One of the things that our public health system has to deal with is an ageing population and greater complexity, largely as a result of chronic illnesses—and sometimes multiple chronic illnesses—that people are facing. That is why that Rudd-Gillard government totally rejigged the federal-state agreement, and why it was a disgraceful act on the part of the Abbott government to unwind that and the impact that then had on our public health system. We are trying to turn that around.

In my electorate, there are a number of commitments when it comes to the health system, including $8 million going to the hospital in Port Augusta for an upgrade. More is needed in Port Augusta, so I guess it is a case of watch this space. One of the really good things is the enhanced ambulance service in the Upper Spencer Gulf. A new station is currently being built in Port Augusta to accommodate an expanded ambulance system.

There is also going to be an upgrade in Whyalla. It might be more sensible to do a new build there as well because we are going to see extra crews. In Whyalla, there is going to be an extra 24/7 crew—something the previous Marshall government did not commit to—and there are going to be two transfer crews between Port Augusta and Whyalla. That is incredibly important as it will prevent, or reduce greatly, ambulances being drawn out of the community for those transfers. The thing about this is that it is not just an empty promise or an empty commitment; the funding is there, we should see it fully implemented come next year and physical progress is well on the way when it comes to the ambulance station in Port Augusta.

One of the other things we did was double the travel amount for PATS. It is interesting to look at some of the regional papers and some of the Facebook pages of those opposite. They had four years in government to do something incredibly simple. We had one minister, or he was a minister in the previous government, claim credit for the increase. He was in cabinet, not for all of those four years, because of some difficulties with the administrative elements of filling in his country members' allowance form, but he was there for a significant period of time. Did he during that period or did any of the other country members in that cabinet double the amount of money for travel when it came to PATS? Well, no. That was a little bit beyond them. So then to claim credit for the work that this government had done—

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): The member will be heard in silence.

Mr HUGHES: It might surprise you that those of us who are country members, and there are not many of us, have been consistent advocates for the reform of PATS. I think there is still some way to go in reforming PATS—and I will not get onto some of my favourite hobbyhorses here—but at least now it is doubling, and that is very encouraging.

When it comes to health, we know there is a health gap for country people in terms of both morbidity and mortality in some country areas compared with the metropolitan area. It is always worthwhile to pick apart those figures because some of the social determinants of health apply in some of the more disadvantaged suburbs in Adelaide as well. Clearly, I have some people in my electorate, especially in places like the APY lands, where the health statistics—which are the lives of real people—show that people are dying way before what should be their allotted time. What did they used to call it? Threescore years and 10.

The average male life expectancy in the APY lands is closer to 48 years and the overall average life expectancy is in the low 50s. If those figures do not rock us and shock us and go whoa—this would have to be a major priority when it comes to addressing the complex issues that underlie what is happening in places like the APY lands. I will get onto some of the other funding commitments we made, but I wanted to spend some time on health because we did go to the last election with health as a major priority.

Obviously one of the big ones in my electorate is the biggest state investment in the Upper Spencer Gulf in Whyalla for decades—that is, the hydrogen power plant. The power plant itself is a 200-megawatt power plant, 250 megawatts of electrolysers and the storage for the power plant. This is going to be a groundbreaking piece of work on a par with or will exceed the big battery. With all the denigration that that got, especially at a federal level—that it would go with the Big Banana and all the rest of it—the big battery has exceeded all expectations in the ancillary services it provides for the grid because of the almost instant response times.

With the hydrogen power plant, there is a body of work that has to be done, but the fact that there are 29 formal expressions of interest from around the world shows the focus. I have no doubt that some of those companies will want to piggyback on this incredibly tangible commitment to go beyond what we are proposing as a state-funded power plant, and the private sector might well do other stuff.

Hydrogen has always been interesting to me, and some years ago, back in 2014-15, I did some work with the Melbourne Institute to try to attract some interest in hydrogen in my part of the world. The reason it is of interest is that if you are going to green the steel industry the reductant you can use is hydrogen; in fact, there is no other reductant you can use if you are going to replace coking coal. I do not pretend that it is necessarily going to be easy. It is going to be a step at a time process but, given the resources we have in this state, it is something that is entirely possible.

One of the other things I would like to mention—and once again it is a compare and contrast—is that the council in Port Augusta had to fund what was known as the Safe City program. That was initially a bit controversial because of dogs and what have you, but essentially it was about relationships, especially relationships with people visiting Port Augusta from the lands and elsewhere. When the council quite rightly pulled out of funding and said, 'Well, why are we funding this?' of course it was too hard for the previous Marshall government to do something simple—step in, stand up to its responsibilities and fund that particular program.

It was something we did immediately, and it is having some success. When we look at the numbers, I think that recently over 420 people have returned to the lands, returned to country, and quite a significant number are minors. We do have in Port Augusta a deep and longstanding issue with some young people, a core group of young people, we have to work with, and we are providing extra resources. We will provide even more resources to get on top of some of those issues.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (16:06): I take this opportunity today to speak about the Supply Bill 2023. As has been indicated previously by the shadow treasurer, the member for Colton, the opposition will be supporting this bill, which is entirely uncontroversial. It is the convention to pass these bills because they ensure that funding—in this case, $6.553 billion—is provided for the operation of government until the Appropriation Bill passes through parliament later this year as part of the state budget.

The funding ensured by the Supply Bill allows public services to continue, whether that be for our hospitals, making sure they are running and that doctors and nurses are paid, or for our police force to be able to keep the community safe, or for our schools to be able to educate our children and teachers to be able to be paid as well. It is important. We see other jurisdictions that have troubles around this, unlike here in South Australia. In the US, for example, they are having trouble even as we speak and are talking about shutdowns and actually having government services not being able to run because people are not getting paid—hence the reason for allowing this bill to pass.

The Supply Bill always precedes the state budget and comes around annually. It gives members a chance to reflect on what has occurred over the past 12 months. If we cast our minds back to March 2022, when this new government was elected, there are certainly some major aspects of people's lives that have deteriorated in key material ways.

As has been said by many on this side, the government, when they were in opposition, made a massive election commitment around ramping: they were going to fix ramping. In fact, what they did not explain to the people of South Australia was that as part of that process they were going to more than double it, based on the ramping statistics from the former Liberal government's last full month in office.

In fact, South Australia has recorded the worst 11 months of ramping in its history under this Malinauskas government. It was a catchphrase that has not really been backed up, with ramping continuing to rise. Each month of those record 11 months had over 3,000 hours lost on the ramp, including March 2023 when there were 3,968 hours lost. That is an increase of over 161 per cent.

There have been Code Whites in all the emergency departments in metropolitan Adelaide, which means the treatment rooms in the EDs are fully used, which of course is causing real issues. We have seen how this plays out at the Flinders Medical Centre where ramping has spread to the level 4 car park, so not even where the ramps usually are. They are having to go into a car park.

The government's solution to this is to come up with a scheme such as 'fit to sit', where if people can sit they are put into the ED as a way of helping with the ramping statistics. We know that does not help the situation at all and probably is one of the reasons why this government have sought to backtrack on their promise to fix ramping. They would rather discuss response times for ambulances.

At the same time they are not even getting the basics right. We have heard terrible stories of the elderly not being able to get pillows or linen while they are having their stay in hospital. It really does show that it is no longer a priority. It was talked up every day during the election campaign and now it has taken a back seat in this government's priorities.

Another area where there has been a significant deterioration in the situation in South Australia is the cost-of-living crisis we are having to go through. We have inflation surging not only in Australia but in South Australia. It is running at 7.9 per cent in Adelaide, which is 7.9 per cent more in March 2023 than it was in March 2022. This is higher than any other capital city in Australia.

Recently the opposition looked into what this actually means for families living in South Australia. A normal family with two parents and two children with a medium-sized mortgage are nearly $17,000 worse off with all the factors going on. Interest rates are going up. They are being increased because of inflation. They are being used to combat inflation, but the people who are feeling this are these families. That $17,000 amount did not include the most recent interest rate rise announced by the Reserve Bank, so there are still more costs piling onto families in South Australia.

There has recently been the federal budget, and there are real concerns around that adding to inflation and what that means for interest rates for mortgage holders. There are real concerns there and certainly we need to ensure that the upcoming state budget does not add more fuel to this inflationary fire we have in South Australia. Making up that figure of $17,000 are grocery bills: breads, dairy, meats. Certainly, when you go to the shops it is a big jump and not just in the tens of cents. We are talking about things going up by dollars.

Phone costs, telecommunication and data costs are going up. Petrol and energy are also going up. In particular, the electricity costs that families and businesses are facing are skyrocketing. The Malinauskas Labor government took no plan to the election to ensure that the electricity supply in South Australia would be affordable and reliable. Unfortunately, now South Australian families are feeling the pain. They are paying for it.

This was demonstrated very early in their term of government when we saw the default market offer announced, with a jump of between $124 and $198 for households, and $450 for businesses. Not long after that, we saw ESCOSA release the average household electricity bill for families. That shows that between December 2021 and June 2022 electricity costs went up by $218. That is a massive jump. Those opposite say, 'Well, we have doubled the concession payments,' but that $218 rise totally eats up all of that doubling, so there is more pain being felt without adding further electricity rises to that.

Other jurisdictions were offering rebates for their households when these figures started coming out. Because there was no plan in place, nothing that we could see that this government was looking to do, we suggested that the government do similar to other jurisdictions and offer rebates. That was ignored.

Rebates, of course, are not a sustainable solution to skyrocketing electricity prices—not at all. The better approach is to actually reduce those electricity prices across the board. Whether you are on a concession payment plan, whether you are the average household similar to those discussed that are facing $17,000 rises or whether you are a business, if prices are coming down, you do not need rebates at all.

We compare this situation with what the former Liberal government did to ensure that the electricity supply was not only affordable but also very reliable between June 2018 and December 2021. We saw the average household electricity bill come down by $421. That exceeded the commitment we took to the election to bring electricity power bills down by $302, so we actually overdelivered on what our commitment was. Compare that even to federal Labor.

Of course, this government has no plan. Federal Labor's plan was, 'We will reduce your electricity bills by $275.' They took that to the federal election last year. In fact, electricity prices have gone the opposite way, and the federal government admitted this in their budget back in October, when they said that electricity bills would increase by 56 per cent over the next two years. This is a massive price rise that households cannot afford, and businesses cannot afford.

Unfortunately, this trajectory has not really changed. In March, we saw the Australian Energy Regulator bring out their draft default market offer. That actually showed that the pain was going in the same direction as what the federal budget said, with the average household electricity bill forecast to rise between $401 and $485. It is a 22 per cent increase. Additionally, bills for businesses are set to rise by over $1,150. This is really difficult for businesses. Yes, households are hurting but so are businesses, which employ people, which give people an income to be able to try to survive in this cost-of-living crisis.

I visited a business with the leader. We went out to see one of these businesses doing it tough—Flambé. It was a great restaurant with innovative food, but they were saying that these electricity prices are biting. They cannot turn their fridges off. They cannot turn their freezers off. They have customers who maybe are not coming in as often because of the cost of living, so they are hurting as well.

This draft default market offer is a draft, but what we have seen in between that announcement and now is the Australian Energy Regulator release the fact that South Australia is the only state in the National Electricity Market to have average quarterly wholesale electricity prices rise this year, increasing from $80 a megawatt hour to $99 a megawatt hour.

Energy insiders are saying, with the release of these quarterly statistics, it really does make it less likely that the Australian Energy Regulator will ultimately make any major changes to that draft default market offer. This is really concerning. When I was with the leader, we again called for this government to take up the federal government's Energy Bill Relief Fund, which was co-funded and really was a way for the federal government to try to get out of the fact that it made a promise to bring bills down by $275. They did not actually say how they were going to do that just by offering rebates to concession holders, but that is what they did.

Thankfully, finally the government has been brought screaming to the table to agree to that, but at the same time the ability to do it was that there has been a big GST windfall into the state. People are paying more for their goods and services, they are paying more for their bread, their meat, etc., so there is GST on that and that inflation is also driving this increase in GST revenues for states.

We made the call to give that back to households and give that back to businesses, not only to concession holders, the vulnerable ones who really do need it, but also across the board to those not eligible for commonwealth funding that allows them to access the Energy Bill Relief Fund. We made that call, and we are yet to see if that is going to come through in the state budget. We certainly hope it does but, as I said, rebates are not a sustainable way to approach this problem. Really, electricity bills need to come down. This Malinauskas Labor government really needs to get its priorities in order, help struggling South Australian businesses and families and come up with a feasible plan around this as well.

Previously, I have also spoken about some of the other issues that we have in South Australia around having a plan. Certainly, there is some relief for households going into the future. ElectraNet has released new modelling that shows that, when the South Australia-New South Wales interconnector is delivered, according to their modelling it will help households. They are set to save $127 per year. Small businesses will also save $255 a year.

On top of that, businesses that are quite electricity intensive also stand to have quite significant reductions. As an example, suburban pubs look to make savings in the order of $18,000. A standard cafe is looking at having savings on their electricity bills of around $6,000. No wonder Project EnergyConnect was backed in by the former Liberal government. No wonder the Australian Energy Market Operator called it a critical project, a no-regrets project.

It really is about time that, in the absence of any electricity plan to ensure our electricity supply is secure, reliable and affordable, the current government came out and supported the former Liberal government's interconnector plan. Of course, we have the current Treasurer, who has been one of the biggest critics of Project EnergyConnect, saying, 'We think it's a terrible idea.' I would rather take my advice from the Australian Energy Market Operator in regard to Project EnergyConnect.

Other areas where there has been a Liberal legacy have been defence and space. I have spoken before in this place about the announcement of the establishment of AUKUS back in September 2021 by the former federal Liberal government. It is a massive landmark security partnership with two of our closest allies, the US and the UK. Its first initiative is to support Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines to be built in South Australia and to work out what that optimal pathway is.

Thankfully, that has continued on under the current commonwealth government, and they have outlined how that is going to occur. It starts off with Australia having the ability to acquire between three and five US Virginia class submarines that have been in service, and after that Australia will be able to build nuclear-powered AUKUS submarines based on the UK's next-generation design. Certainly, it will incorporate technology from all three nations and, importantly, be built here in Osborne in South Australia.

We certainly welcome that announcement. We support that announcement and know that it will have a big impact here in South Australia, but there really are some questions that remain to be resolved. We have to ensure, of course, that it does have long-term benefits for South Australia. So, yes, that is certainly important not only from a workforce point of view but also in terms of making sure that our small and medium defence companies are able to participate in this as well.

If it is based on the UK design, we need to make sure that Australian companies can participate in the first of type that is built. We know it is going to be built over in Barrow-in-Furness. If companies from South Australia and from Australia are not able to participate in its first build, it is going to be a lot harder for them to participate in builds here because, once supply chains are set up, it really is quite difficult for the primes that are running these to take on the risk of selecting alternatives as well. We need to make sure that the Minister for Defence and Space Industries is working really hard to make sure that occurs.

That is a long way off. That is back to the late 2030s. The first submarine is not expected to come into operation until 2042, so we need to maintain shipbuilding up to that point to make sure our workforce is able to continue to be skilled up. That leads to programs such as the Hunter class. We have asked questions around that today in parliament to make sure that that continues to operate here in South Australia.

There is also the life-of-type extension for the Collins class submarines. That was delivered as part of the AUKUS agreement. We had the Premier, when he was in opposition, calling on our government to make sure that the full cycle docking came to Adelaide. In fact, yes, it did, and in addition we also got the life-of-type extension, which means over a thousand employees are going to be there. This government, if they were so strong in advocating for those jobs then, now need to ensure they continue those jobs to make sure all six life-of-type extensions occur at Osborne.

Message from Governor

His Excellency the Governor's Deputy, by message, recommended to the house the appropriation of such amounts of money as may be required for the purposes mentioned in the bill.

Second Reading

Debate resumed.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (16:28): I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Supply Bill, which, approved by the parliament, will supply the government with sufficient funds to carry on the business of government in the lead-up to the budget being passed. In doing so I want to highlight some of the achievements and plans we have for our state, including those specifically for the electorate of Torrens.

As a parent and former teacher, for me the education of our children and young people is a high priority, and, I am so very pleased to say, it is a priority of our government. We understand the transformative power of education and believe that all students should have a quality education regardless of their age, postcode or the challenges of learning they are dealt.

We are committed to doing all we can to ensure children and young people get the best education foundation possible. We have strong beliefs about access to quality early childhood education through to primary and secondary years, vocational training and university. We value our teachers—our educators—and acknowledge their incredibly important role in assisting in delivering our next generation of South Australians.

These are the South Australians that will form the workforce of the future, fulfilling the roles of teachers; nurses, doctors and other health practitioners; police officers, emergency services workers, lawyers, fireys and paramedics; tradies, including plumbers, electricians and brickies; hairdressers and dog groomers; and builders, council workers, motor mechanics, veterinarians, administrative staff, retail assistants, technicians, musicians, writers, performers, journalists, researchers, scientists, sportsmen and women and so many more, and of course those that will become leaders in these and other fields.

It has always been my view that education really is a window to the world and that through education come knowledge and opportunity. It is only right that all people should have the opportunity to access good quality education at all levels—as children, as youth and as adults—to enable them to develop and to fully realise their potential throughout their lifetime. This is delivered through quality school leadership, teachers and support staff, along with the necessary infrastructure to support their learning.

Three public schools in Torrens were among the 139 South Australian schools to benefit through the former Labor government's $250 million investment in the STEM Works program, a program that delivered new or upgraded facilities for science, technology, engineering and maths in our 77 public primary schools, 44 high schools and R-12 schools across the state.

Leading into the 2022 state election, our government made a $4 million commitment for new infrastructure to the Avenues College school community, and we did it for all the right reasons. Avenues College comprises the amalgamation of two schools—Windsor Gardens Secondary College (formerly known as Gilles Plains High School) and Windsor Gardens Vocational College—with the Gilles Plains Primary School on the McKay Avenue site.

This school provides quality education to students who live in the surrounding suburbs. It is a birth to year 12 school, early years, preschool, primary and secondary school, in addition to being a centre for deaf education. Also, First Nations students boarding at Wiltja, in nearby Lightsview, participate in the education program offered at Avenues College.

Another election commitment of our government is $2.5 million to Hillcrest Primary School for the building of a much-needed school hall. Hillcrest Primary School proudly claims a diverse growing school community, with students arriving from across the world. The school currently has limited access to North East Community House building next door for assemblies, school graduations and, occasionally when it is available, for indoor sports and drama lessons. The building of a new school hall is a win-win situation for Hillcrest Primary School and for North East Community House, as it will free up available time for North East Community House to include additional community programs.

Another very worthy election commitment is the $500,000 upgrade to Wandana Primary School in Gilles Plains. On Monday evening, I attended two governing council meetings: one was at Hillcrest Primary School and the other was at Klemzig Primary School. It was great to hear firsthand from parents and teachers about some of the programs our government has put in place and how welcome they are.

South Australia is leading the way to make our schools more inclusive and accessible through autism inclusion teachers. The government has invested $28.8 million to provide access to an autism inclusion teacher in every public primary school, including R-12 schools, and this was all part of an election commitment. The role of autism inclusion teachers aims to build their own knowledge and expertise to influence the practice of other staff at the school. This includes advice on setting up calm spaces, emotional regulation techniques and other learning expertise to support neurodiverse students' best school learning environment.

There has been considerable consultation with the autistic community—people with lived experience, parents and carers, educators, school students, families, experts and community organisations—on the autism inclusion teacher role to ensure it fits the need of the community. I held an autism forum in my electorate, which was very well attended and of benefit to the children of the people who attended who live locally.

This term, over 400 autism inclusion teachers began their new roles in our schools to help build South Australians' understanding and knowledge to support autistic children and young people. Each autism inclusion teacher works one or two days every fortnight in their new role, providing practical opportunities to apply their learning across the site. They will develop their skills through a targeted, professional learning package, which includes face-to-face training, workshops and online modules.

We know that there is a huge benefit for students, families, the community and South Australia more broadly by improving the support we put around autistic students. I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the great work that has been done by the Assistant Minister for Autism, the Hon. Emily Bourke in the other place.

Persons who volunteer in our community give something of themselves that is precious. They give their time and they give hours of it, and some give hundreds of hours of their time over months and years of their lives. They give their hours freely, often making personal sacrifices to do so. It is important to acknowledge the generosity of our volunteers and their value to our community during National Volunteer Week.

In 2022-23, the Department of Human Services provided $667,700 to support the volunteering sector. This included funding to support the implementation of the volunteering strategy for SA, the SA volunteer awards and projects to link young people to volunteering opportunities in northern and southern Adelaide. Now more than 900,000 South Australians volunteer each year.

Today, I want to acknowledge and thank those in my electorate of Torrens who so generously give of their time in a voluntary capacity: the volunteers in our schools, those who volunteer in classrooms, libraries, on working bees and in supporting sports team and the many other jobs that they carry out.

Also, of course, there are the parents who serve on our state governing councils at Hillcrest Primary School, Klemzig Primary School, Hampstead Primary School, Vale Park Primary School, Wandana Primary School and Avenues College, as well as our Catholic and independent schools: Kildare College, St Paul's College, St Pius X School, St Martins Catholic Primary School, Pinnacle College and Heritage College Adelaide, and those who volunteer on the committees at Gilles Plains children's centre, Klemzig Kindergarten, Hampstead Preschool and Holden Hill Kindergarten as well.

I want to acknowledge and thank the many dedicated parents, grandparents and other members of the community who coach, umpire, manage, administrate and serve on the committees of our local sports teams, beginning with Gaza Sports and Community Club, where football and cricket are actively played.

Gaza is the recipient of a $750,000 election commitment for much-needed new change rooms for female and male players. This will form part of the new clubrooms to be delivered in conjunction with the Port Adelaide Enfield Council. On Monday, I attended a planning meeting there, where there were many excited members welcoming the news of new clubrooms and the change rooms that are going to benefit so many.

Also the recipient of a $750,000 election commitment towards new change facilities is North Eastern MetroStars Soccer Club. On game day, when the Metro United women play, the club has to bring in transportable buildings for them to change in. The contribution to the new change rooms and the development of the clubrooms will contribute significantly to the community. The former Labor government also delivered a synthetic soccer pitch to the club, which has meant so much to the players and the local community.

We have amazing and dedicated volunteers across all areas of the Torrens electorate, including the North Adelaide Rockets Basketball Club, Adelaide City Football Club, Greenacres Tennis Club, North Eastern Knights Cricket Club and the Northgate Community and Sports Club—which is in the electorate of Enfield but many of its members live in the electorate of Torrens—the Windsor Calisthenics Club, the Eastern Districts Netball Association and all volunteers who spend their time in canteens, washing uniforms, chauffeuring team members to matches, cooking barbecues and fundraising.

Another volunteer organisation is Vale Park Our Patch, who work with native revegetation and environmental education projects along the banks of the River Torrens. Since 2000, Vale Park Our Patch have planted more than 30,000 locally native plants of at least 200 different species. They also develop educational biodiversity resources for Vale Park Primary School.

The volunteers at North East Community House, which assists in delivering great programs to our community—including many who are amongst the most vulnerable—are truly dedicated, and a shout-out for their ongoing support in serving morning and afternoon tea at my annual seniors' forums. They do a fantastic job.

The Gilles Plains Lions Club, of which I am a member, work hard to raise funds dedicated to helping our community. They have committed to sponsoring a student's participation in Operation Flinders, and this year that is going towards a camp for the Centre of Deaf Education. They sponsor two children through World Vision in Tanzania and Sri Lanka, and they are life members of the Australian Cranio-Maxillo Facial Foundation, having sponsored a child from Malaysia for a full facial reconstruction. Later this year, with the assistance of my office, they will host the Lions skin cancer screening bus in the car park outside my electorate office.

The Gilles Plains and Hampstead RSL volunteers have a long history of serving our defence community and providing meals and recreational activities for returned service members and their families, as well as for other members of our community. In government, this club, through our Fund My Neighbourhood program, were delivered a wonderful shelter for use during inclement weather. We have had a number of ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day services under this shelter, which provided terrific protection from the sun and rain.

The Regency Community Men's Shed, which is just outside my electorate—again, now in the member for Enfield's electorate—originated from discussion with the Northgate Oakden Residents Association. The shed itself is, again, the result of the former Labor government's Fund My Neighbourhood program. Both men and women work on individual community-based programs here that benefit our shared community, including the building of our little free libraries and wooden jigsaw puzzles that are sold at fetes and fairs, with donations from the sales going to not-for-profit organisations.

Then there is the Holden Hill Community Centre, where the Holden Hill Men's Shed operates. It is solely run by volunteers who give their time to make everyone feel welcome and safe, and it includes women's participation as well.

The Enfield Horticultural Society, of which I am a proud patron, is run by volunteers. It brings together members of our community who have a love of gardening. They really are amazing green thumbs, and their autumn and spring shows are not to be missed—nor are the tea, coffee and cakes that they serve on these show days.

We have the Wandana Community Centre in Gilles Plains, where respecting people from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures and genders is a focus while delivering their valuable program. At the Technology for Ageing and Disability incredibly skilled and dedicated volunteers use their skills to create, modify and repair devices where there are no other solutions (including commercial) readily available to improve the quality of life for people with disability.

Our volunteer-run Neighbourhood Watch programs at Klemzig, Windsor Gardens and Walkerville bring residents and police together to resolve local issues and help create connected communities, reducing crime and building safer streets.

Our local first Hillcrest Scout Group and Girl Guides is run by volunteers, who are helping young people develop lifelong skills to grow in confidence and gain valuable leadership and team skills. There is the Northfield Meals on Wheels team, some of whom have been preparing and delivering meals in our community for decades, and I volunteer there. The Molinara Social and Sports Club is a place for families to meet, where the traditions and customs of Molinara are passed on to their children.

The Royal Society for the Blind volunteers—in particular, the Royal Society for the Blind guide dog volunteers—may be puppy educators, bed-and-breakfast or emergency boarding hosts. They absolutely do an amazing job in raising these dogs to assist those with vision impairment, as well as our veterans with post-traumatic stress. I make mention of my passion also with the RSB for adequate swimming and water safety facilities in our electorate. The state government's delivery of $150,000 is an election commitment towards the renovation and upgrade of the RSB pool, which is now being operated by Royal Lifesaving South Australia with a number of programs there and is pretty well full, I would say.

Finally, as time will not permit, I want to extend a huge thank you to all the other organisations in Torrens that rely on the dedication of volunteers to deliver our community services along with the work of our multicultural communities, in particular members of our Indian and Nepalese communities who work to continue to be a significant voice for the more vulnerable in our shared community. Volunteers contribute an estimated 1.73 million volunteer hours per week in South Australia, and the dollars saved by volunteers committed to our communities are significant.

I turn now to the very important area of health. On being elected to government just 12 months ago, every existing bed in the system was opened. Particularly relevant to the residents of the north and north-east is our commitment to the construction of the 48-bed expansion at Lyell McEwin Hospital, which is in fact a doubling of the government's original election commitment of 24 beds. Work on the expansion is expected to be completed in 2024. For patients, it will deliver 48 single rooms with ensuites, rooms with specialty care features, improving patient comfort and wellbeing for those who require a higher level of support.

Our government has committed to supporting mental health patients to receive the care they need by making a generational investment in mental health on delivering its election commitment for 24 mental health beds at Modbury Hospital, with a first look at the unit's design revealed on the site at the hospital's 50th anniversary, which I attended with the Minister for Health and Wellbeing.

The 24-bed unit will support adults who need longer stays in hospital for therapeutic and rehabilitative care in a model that provides therapy in specially designed living spaces to support daily activities, and there is so much more. While implementing these measures and making long-lasting change will take time, the Malinauskas government is working towards establishing a better health system that both current and future generations can benefit from.

In closing, I make mention of our government's commitment to the arts, beginning with the increase of funding to the Adelaide Fringe by $8 million over four years. The 2023 Adelaide Fringe was a huge success under the directorship of the dedicated Heather Croall. With over 1,280 items across 500 venues, it exceeded the previous record, selling over a million tickets. This resulted in more visitors to South Australia, more business for our restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars, tourism operators and retailers. Our commitment to the arts also includes the additional investment of $2 million per year to boost arts grants.

The assistance for the recovery of South Australia's live music industry following COVID saw a $10 million package with a focus on getting local musicians and performers back on stage. Those who attended the Royal Adelaide Show last year would have seen financial support for more than 496 artists as well as support for small music events, mid-tier venues and large music festivals. I commend the Supply Bill 2023 to the house.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:47): As always, the opposition will support the Supply Bill. It is an important bill that enables the functions of government to work in the time between the Appropriation Bill being introduced but before the Appropriation Bill is passed after the beginning of the next financial year. Effectively, the Supply Bill enables all areas of government, from education and health to transport and the bureaucracy and everything in between, to continue and, indeed, there is therefore no controversy about supporting it.

The Supply Bill by its very nature has a very broad application, and so I take the opportunity to reflect broadly on some themes in my portfolio and local areas. I would like to comment on what the Premier said during question time today. I asked him how much the government's new advertising campaign relating to the technical college at Findon High School was costing and whether or not it was money taken from the education budget or whether it was new money to the state budget. These are important questions.

The Premier did not have an answer to the first question. He did not know how much the Labor Party in government was spending on this new TV ads for Labor's election education policy. In relation to the second question, 'Where was the money coming from?', he said that it is coming from the state budget. It was a non-answer if ever there was one. However, it is clear to me that if the money did not come from the Premier's own budget, then it is most likely to have come from within the education department's budget.

That is money that could have been going to support preschools or early childhood services or schools across South Australia in any range of circumstances. Instead, it has been highlighted by the Labor Party as a spend that needed to happen on TV ads to encourage enrolment at Findon High School.

We have said before that there is no real problem with enhancing the built form at Findon High School with their new technical college; it is a school that will benefit from it. We have some serious questions about the model that Labor is operating for the technical colleges, whether these schools or indeed the department are getting bang for buck. But even that, I will grant, was part of Labor's election commitment and they must deliver it, they should deliver it and I certainly hope they will deliver it. People at Findon High School are expecting no less.

The Premier, in his answer, said it was a unique opportunity for students to be guaranteed a job when they leave school. That was just wrong. We had a thousand school-based apprentices engaged during the time of the previous government, each one of whom was already in a job by the time they left school, and many of them further along in their apprenticeship than will be offered to students studying at Findon High School who have been promised the possibility of entering an apprenticeship after leaving school.

But put that aside for one minute. I really want to make the point that when the Labor Party and its members talk about whether it is the advertising campaign for enrolments at Findon High School, whether it is the other Labor government election policies, such as the administration of the new technical colleges, whether it is the autism inclusion teachers, whether it is the expansion of what we had put in place of 55 new staff in mental health and wellbeing to 100—which will eventually be Labor's policy—that is not new money that has been introduced to the education budget.

That is money that has been activated by the signature I put on a piece of paper with the commonwealth in 2019 activating the National School Resourcing Agreement, better known as the Gonski agreement. It was, in fact, the Liberal government that, in 2019, activated that funding, and everything the Labor Party has done in education has been paid for by that agreement.

That required substantial new funding to be introduced to the South Australian public schools budget by the former Liberal government—$700 million of extra funding that we put into the Department for Education's budget over the coming 10 years that had not been left to us by the previous Weatherill government. It is really worth noting that, because without that extra funding that was enabled by the former Liberal government signing up to the national school funding reforms, this Labor government would not be able to deliver on any of those promises.

When we were in government and they were in opposition they were very critical of the nature of the agreement that we signed with the federal government. They said, and indeed the Australian Education Union also said, that there was too much money being allocated out of that agreement to support things like the SACE Board and the Education Standards Board, as well as certain items identified in the agreement that were up to 4 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard that was allowed to be spent on other things that were necessary to deliver education in South Australia.

I make the point that when you are investing $1.5 billion in new capital in the system, as we did over the four years, while the capital itself was not counted at all in the Gonski agreement and was additional spend over and above what was required by that agreement, it is a cost to the system that should be recognised, that you are managing those assets, and up to 4 per cent was put in that category.

To this point the Malinauskas Labor government appears to have made no steps to recast that agreement, despite all the rhetoric before the election. Until then, and until they get extra money from the federal government—if they ever do—and until they invest one extra cent in public schools over and above the resources that were left as a result of the agreement we signed in 2019, I will be less impressed with their generosity than those Labor members who have talked about these programs over the last couple of days as if they were new investments.

They are not new investments. They are Labor choosing to do certain things with education money that would otherwise have gone to other programs within education, particularly schools. I make no complaint about them delivering on their election promises; they have a responsibility to do that. I do have a complaint if they are using money that should be going to support schools to instead produce television advertisements spruiking the Labor Party's election ads.

I think that is a concern. I think Labor members should be concerned. I suspect many of them do not know about this. It is time, hopefully very soon, for the Premier or the education minister to admit how much money the Labor Party has spent on these new ads and confirm whether or not it has been taken away from the schools budget or it has been new money granted by the Premier's largesse from his department.

On the topic of investments in education, one of the projects that has been supported by governments, Labor and Liberal, for very many years is investment from the education department in supporting community language schools in South Australia. These used to be known as ethnic schools, or ethnic and community language schools, and are now understood better by the title 'community language schools'. Indeed, we celebrate National Community Languages Schools Day on 21 May.

We have nearly 100 community language schools throughout South Australia. They are teaching culture, particularly language, history, heritage and stories in at least 47 languages to thousands of children and young people from around South Australia. Many of these children and young people are learning language, culture, heritage and stories from their own family traditions.

Whether it be the Bo De Vietnamese School, the Dac-Lo Vietnamese Ethnic School or the Vietnamese Community SA Chapter Ethnic School, I have appreciated the fact that they have accepted students from non-Vietnamese backgrounds. Indeed, I have met students from non-Greek backgrounds attending one of our many Greek schools. I think former education minister Jane Lomax-Smith tells the story that, because her children had Greek neighbours and their kids went to the Greek school, her kids went to one of the Greek schools as well. These schools are not just serving their own communities—they do look outwards—but that service to their own communities is tremendously important.

I pay tribute to all of those educators, volunteers, teachers, principals and administrators of those community language schools. Some of them are paid staff; the vast majority are in fact volunteers. I also pay tribute to their parents because, whether it is on a Saturday morning or a Sunday morning perhaps after church, or a weeknight, that extra work that they do to take their children to the community language school benefits not just their children but also our entire state.

The children understanding better their heritage and the stories of their parents and their grandparents, having a sense of place in the world, having confidence in their culture and their background is an asset for them. That helps provide harmony and wellbeing in our community. The language they learn I am particularly grateful for and appreciative of, because a student who has an aptitude for more than one language, whether they speak English and another language or, in some cases, a number of languages, has a benefit for the rest of their life. It benefits the student for the rest of their education in particular. Learning a language helps unlock pathways in the brain that assist students learning other subjects too.

But it is more than that. It is more than what it offers that student. It unlocks economic potential in that student to be more productive once they are in the workforce if they speak other languages, which benefits all of us. Culturally, it benefits our state as well. For students who are able to share their culture with each other in the classroom or in the playground at their mainstream school as well, having a stronger understanding of their heritage and customs is one of the things that helps make South Australia the multicultural success story that I believe it is.

I particularly want to take an opportunity to pay credit to all those schools, principals, staff and parents from around South Australia who undertake that work in so many different schools. I take a moment to reflect on some of the work that is undertaken by our mainstream schools, many of which do hosting for our community language schools. I was talking to the principal at Charles Campbell College, Kevin O'Neil, just this morning. Charles Campbell College, which is in the member for Hartley's electorate but certainly is one of the high schools that services my electorate, hosts the Adelaide Tamil Language School, the Adelaide Marathi Vidyalay School, the Parish of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene Greek School, and the Jivanshilp School of Languages.

I remember seeing the appreciation from some of these community language schools when Charles Campbell College agreed to be their host. Some of them had been in transition and moving. That host relationship is so important, so I commend Charles Campbell College and all the high schools around South Australia. I also commend primary schools, and there are also some excellent primary schools that host this. I remember attending the Japanese school celebrations at Rose Park Primary School a couple of years ago. I pay tribute to all those schools because it is an important thing that they do.

It is not always convenient to have a different school coming in and using classrooms, and that relationship requires some management and investment of time. I hope those schools that are either already supporting community language schools or considering supporting community language schools in the future do so. That investment of time is worthwhile. It is an investment in our community, and obviously the relationship the school can get from the community language schools is beneficial.

Some of those community language schools have taken the opportunity in recent years. One of the things that the Marshall Liberal government did upon election was invest in a program to provide extra support for community language schools to be able to teach students at a SACE level. We have far too few. We have a slowly growing number of students—but we would love the number to grow faster—undertaking language studies at a SACE level, at year 12 level.

It is a difficult thing to turn around quickly because, if students are not studying at year 11, they do not do it at year 12; if not at year 10, then they are not doing it at year 11. When we came to power, there were actually not that many students studying it at year 9 to year 10 level, which has made it difficult to turn the boat around on those numbers, but community language schools are one of the avenues where we have been able to encourage more students to undertake SACE studies. We now have 24 of our community language schools accredited to teach SACE level languages.

I commend the Adelaide Japanese Community School, Alliance Française d'Adelaide and Dac-Lo Vietnamese School, which I mentioned before. I also commend the Greek Orthodox Community and Parish of Norwood and Eastern Suburbs Schools, Greek Orthodox Community Schools, Port Adelaide Greek School, Hungarian Community School in Adelaide, Latvian School of Adelaide, School for the German Language and, School of St Nicholas Parish of Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.

I also commend Arabic Language School, Al Salam Academy of Adelaide, Sinhala Buddhist School, Australian Druze Arabic School, Somali Ethnic School of SA, Association of Ukrainians in SA Community School, A. Pushkin Russian School, The Bantu Ethnic School of SA, South Australia Tamil School, Brazilian Ethnic School of SA, Al-Salam Arabic School, Timbuktu Arabic School, Sudanese Community Ethnic School and Russian School of Adelaide.

For all those schools that are doing that extra work, that is a significant dedication of time and resources by those communities in getting their students up to fluency. Some of those schools service a number of schools. I was talking to a principal of one of the schools that is not on that list this morning, and they were talking about how they have a pathway working with their other school that does teach SACE level to help get students to go through there.

I also commend Binh Nguyen, the chair of the community language schools board, and Brett Shuttleworth, the executive officer. I also recognise the work that Darryl Buchanan did for many years as the former executive officer of Community Language Schools SA. Happy National Community Languages Schools Day to all those schools, the administrators, teachers and everyone else. I am really pleased to bring that important work to the attention of the house.

One of the things by which we as a community will be judged by our children in the years ahead is the cultural institutions that we have supported and provided opportunities for them to learn in as they grow up. This morning, I was with the Minister for Arts celebrating the launch of the DreamBIG festival. It is a wonderful children's festival. The next one will be recognising its 50th year. I recall as a child myself going along to the Come Out Festival and appreciating what it opened my eyes to, in the sense of the role of the arts in South Australia, performance and music education in particular. This is a tremendously important body of work, and it is an important portfolio within government. It is a portfolio that I fear has been completely underdone and maligned under this new Labor government.

I have heard members of the Labor Party speak in this chamber about the Malinauskas Labor government's support for the arts. Some talk about extra funding that has gone to the Fringe Festival. I have heard mention of the small grant, the modest grant, that was provided to the Film Festival to enable it to annualise. I have heard some members talk about live music grants. These were election commitments that were supposed to be delivered on, and they have been delivered on, so that is fine.

What I never heard Peter Malinauskas say ahead of the election was that those arts commitments would be funded by radically reducing funding to all the other arts community organisations and institutions across South Australia. Some of those cuts to arts institutions in South Australia are now seeing dramatic effects. I have raised in this parliament on a number of occasions the significant cuts to the South Australian Museum that have been instituted by this government.

Whenever this has been raised in the media, the Minister for Arts has said, 'Our cuts coming in aren't as big as the former government's cuts were when they came in.' I have had a look at the figures she has used. She talks about a 5 per cent figure. The only way that arts administrators have told me you can get to that figure is if you include the cuts that were put in place by the member for West Torrens when he was the Treasurer in the Mid-Year Budget Review in 2017 that we inherited on coming to government in 2018. They, imposed by the Labor Party, were dramatic and significant.

There were modest efficiencies applied by the former government but also tremendous new resources applied by the former government. The arts plan was delivered as promised, the first arts plan for South Australia since the early 1990s. There were investments in infrastructure, including the storage facility of $80 million, the scope for which I understand this new government is reducing, and the investment of $200 million in Tarrkarri, the Aboriginal arts and culture centre, which this government has put on pause.

From the way the Premier is talking like a real estate agent whenever he gets his eyes on that land in the Parklands, I do not hold great hopes that Labor is not planning on returning to its former policy of building apartments on those Parklands. At any rate, I come back to the cuts to the Museum. The dramatic effect of them has now been exposed by FOI'd board minutes, which have shown that the Museum board were talking about a deficit of $1.1 million. They have managed to reduce that deficit by applying some internal efficiencies, things like reducing the investment in research that the Museum is undertaking.

I heard the Deputy Premier talking about the extraordinary research that led to the national park around Ediacara yesterday. The Ediacara fossils work was in collaboration with research scientists at the South Australian Museum, a body of work that would not happen in the future as a result of these cuts that this government has imposed on the Museum itself. They are turning off the ultrafreezers, which had some collections that had been among the most heavily used, I am informed, over the last 50 years. The cuts at the Museum are seeing reductions, as I understand it, in security staff.

The way in which the Museum is going to operate in the years ahead will be significantly challenged by this. As I understand it, there is still a deficit of more than half a million dollars, and the Museum is expected to reach into their reserves to be able to pay that. There is no analysis or strategy being applied to these cuts, cuts that are also affecting the Adelaide Festival Centre in its 50th year. As I understand it, there is over $1 million in cuts to the Festival Centre. We were there this morning celebrating the DreamBIG festival, and that is great. They have a good operation there, and they are able still to do a lot, but in its 50th year you would think that this government would be interested in supporting the Festival Centre with more than the cuts they have applied.

Most of the arts bodies, significant arts bodies, are facing challenging times. Prices are going up and there is no help from this government. Cuts have been applied and there is no strategy, just a blunt instrument. So, yes, it is good they are meeting their election commitments; I just wish they had more than an ounce of interest in the rest of the arts firmament in South Australia.

The Hon. N.F. COOK (Hurtle Vale—Minister for Human Services) (17:08): I rise to speak on the Supply Bill 2023 and of course commend the bill to the house. Passing the Supply Bill means that we can keep delivering for South Australia as the budget is prepared and the Appropriation Bill is debated. Government investment is important for our community and our economy at any time, but it is never more critical than when we face tough times. When South Australians put their trust in the Malinauskas Labor government last March, we were facing the leftovers from nine years of a chaotic Liberal-National federal government and four years of a do-nothing state Liberal government.

When times are good, bad governments can sometimes get away with not doing the work the community expects and needs, but as national and global events brought challenges in so many areas, the people of South Australia and Australia demanded competent and compassionate government and voted for change. They got leadership with a long-term vision for growth and prosperity combined with helping those who need it most when they need it, which is right now.

The cost-of-living challenge is as it is—a challenge for too many South Australians. Groups in our community struggling to make ends meet have expanded as interest rates and the cost of goods and services grow. That is why I was so proud to be part of delivering the single biggest concession payment in South Australia's history. We doubled the Cost of Living Concession and provided $78 million to more than 211,000 households. I acknowledge the amazing work of the Department of Human Services, their concessions team and workers from around government who came together to manage record numbers of inquiries and applications.

I also would like to thank Lyndall, a pensioner and renter from the western suburbs who asked a very simple question last year. She asked why renters had to wait for seven or eight months after home owners to get their concession payment. It was a very good question, and we discovered that the answer was that it had always been done this way. So we fixed it, brought it forward and the payment for around 50,000 renters also at the same time as home owners.

We made public transport free 24/7 for Seniors Card holders. This helps tens of thousands of older South Australians to work, socialise, shop and get to important appointments without paying a cent. Boosting public transport usage is also very important for our environment.

We are working with federal Labor to deliver energy bill relief to households and to small businesses. In the coming year, we will once again deliver the biggest concession payment in state history, almost triple the record we broke last year. Over the coming year, around 400,000-plus households may receive $500 off their energy bills. Many thousands of small businesses also will get $650. This is worth more than a quarter of a billion dollars from the state government.

Recognising the challenges faced by a growing group of households, the payments are expected to go to a broader group than our regular energy concessions. These are normally focused on those who receive social security payments, like pensioners, but this new support will also help working households who only receive the family tax benefit or a carer allowance from the commonwealth.

One-off support is important, especially when costs are rising quickly, but we also need to make sure that we have a fair, equitable and sustainable system for the future. Delivering on another election commitment, we have started a review of our concessions system. This work is drawing on expertise from inside and outside government, with social service organisations, peak bodies, multicultural groups and veterans representatives amongst those working with us. I look forward to catching the house up on this important and critical work.

One of the biggest contributors to cost-of-living pressures and stress on people doing it tough is housing. At the 2022 election, Labor recognised the challenges faced by too many people in the housing market and committed an extra $177.5 million into the public housing system. This funding was designed to deliver 400 extra new homes, later increased to 437, plus to upgrade 350 vacant properties so they can be homes again for people in need. We also committed to doing additional maintenance on an extra 3,000 homes.

We provided an additional $6 million to inner city homelessness services—Hutt St, Catherine House and Vinnies—that had lost funding under the Liberals. Following the election, we recognised that more action was needed and announced another $55.2 million for 127 new public housing properties at the Mid-Year Budget Review. Not only did this additional MYBR funding allow for more construction but it also included funds to purchase extra land to minimise potential delays waiting for blocks of existing public housing land to become available.

In our first year of government, we have committed an extra $232.7 million to public housing—almost a quarter of a billion dollars that will see the first proper increase in public housing in a generation. The last time public housing went up under a Liberal government in South Australia, it was 1982. This was before half the people in South Australia were even born. By the time the Liberals get back into government, it could be half a century or more since the Liberals added one extra home to public housing.

Importantly, we have stopped the planned sale of 580 public housing properties. Combined with our additional construction, this will deliver 1,144 more public housing properties in 2026 compared to the plans that were left behind by the Liberals. This followed public housing dropping by 1,095 homes under the former government, and a drop of around 13,000 public housing properties when they were last in government before that.

I was reminded of the Liberals' record on housing recently, when former Minister Lensink jumped on ABC radio to talk again about public housing and said, and I quote: 'The most generous Treasurer since Tom Playford was Rob Lucas.' Well, when Rob Lucas was Treasurer almost 3,000 public housing rental properties vanished in a single year. If that is a generous Liberal Treasurer, then I would hate to see one in a bad mood.

I am not sure how Thomas Playford, pictured here in our chamber, who was the architect of the Housing Trust expansion and nationalising electricity in South Australia, would feel about being compared with Rob Lucas, who did the exact opposite by gutting the Housing Trust and privatising ETSA.

In February, we announced a comprehensive package of housing reforms, which included the single largest release of residential land in the state's history to support 23,700 homes in Dry Creek, Concordia, Hackham and Sellicks Beach. We are establishing the Office for Regional Housing in Renewal SA. We have doubled the length of time that affordable homes are listed exclusively for low and moderate-income buyers on HomeSeeker SA from 30 to 60 days.

We have expanded the Private Rental Assistance Program by lifting the maximum weekly rent for a home from $450 to $600, and we are increasing the asset limit from $5,000 to $62,150. I should add here that this change was recommended by the Liberals' own Housing Trust Board in November 2021, but they did nothing—absolutely nothing—even after house prices had jumped by 25 per cent in 2021 alone.

The change we have made has already seen hundreds of people get help with bond and rent in advance so they can secure a roof over their head. We have changed the threshold for private rental bonds for the first time since 1994. For 29 years, once weekly rent was $250 or more, then bonds could be six weeks' rent instead of four. The threshold has now increased to $800, and renters have saved more than a million dollars in just the first month of a new system.

We are expanding low-deposit loans through HomeStart Finance and partnering with the new federal government, hopefully, on the proposed $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord. Together, these aim to support 50,000 social and affordable homes around Australia over five years from mid-2024, and South Australia hopes to secure more than 3,000 of these. I note here that the Liberals and Greens are currently blocking debate on this critical legislation in the Senate in the federal parliament to establish the $10 billion future fund, and I really call on them to stop the madness. We have to get started on this work.

At the state level, we are also reviewing the Residential Tenancies Act 1995, with more than 5,000 responses and submissions received. An early reform bill is already here before the house and, without debating it, to avoid breaking standing orders, I note the Liberals have indicated their support. While we welcome their support, it begs the question of why they did not progress and similarly reform during their term of government. Nothing happened. In recent days, we also announced the state government was the successful bidder for a CBD site adjacent to the Franklin Street bus station. That provides amazing opportunities for affordable inner city housing.

Spending and investment are critical parts of our government, but the values and advice that guide it are of equal value. The Malinauskas Labor government has brought a focus on inclusion and compassion, in addition to a long-term vision to build a sustainable and prosperous economy. I was so proud this year to establish our three ministerial advisory councils on youth, disability and LGBTIQA+ in the community. These will help to make sure that diverse voices inform our work.

It is important that we recognise and celebrate the achievements of a wide range of people in our community, no more so than today on IDAHOBIT, and DHS has supported the Young Achiever Awards for over 10 years by sponsoring the Aboriginal Achievement Award. Since 2022, DHS has also sponsored the Pride Award. I attended only a few weeks ago and presented awards at this event.

To boost inclusive education, my colleague the Minister for Education, the member for Wright, is overseeing a $50 million program for wellbeing workers in schools and a $28 million program for autism lead teachers in public schools. The Premier appointed the nation's first Assistant Minister for Autism, and the Office for Autism has now been established with directors in place as well in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

We are working with the autism and autistic communities to develop the state's first autism strategy and autism charter. This work is about recognising the intrinsic value in diverse people and it is a true privilege to be part of a government that does much more than just say nice things; we are actually getting on and doing good things.

In the broader disability policy area, we have halved the number of NDIS participants who are in hospital and ready for discharge. I have worked very hard on this with my friend the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, the member for Kaurna. This has included halving the number who had been ready to leave hospital for more than 100 days under a sluggish, non-responsive system. We are working with the commonwealth on reviews for the NDIS and I look forward to updating the house on some really important changes that will arise from this work.

As a final note on disability and inclusion, I applaud my department, the Department for Human Services, for their role in the See Me For Me campaign. It has garnered some incredible awards and international attention. Campaigns such as this bring a fundamental message to the community that people are defined by more than their gender, colour, shape, disability or medical condition.

A key focus in Human Services is building communities, not just buildings. Community centres, men's, women's, community sheds and youth centres are central to this work. One-off funding of $1.5 million has been made available for women's and men's sheds to promote mental health and wellbeing in the community. A competitive grant round for women's and men's sheds across South Australia was launched on 7 October 2022.

Funding of up to $25,000 per project was available for initiatives such as creating community gardens, purchasing tools and equipment, and activities to help people build new networks. The round received 87 applications and the assessment panel recommended funding 42 applicants to the value of $616,852 with over 60 per cent of approvals being in regional and remote South Australia.

Since the election, I was thrilled to announce an extra $2.4 million per year in state government funding for community centres. This will deliver a record investment of $49.5 million over the next nine years. It will support over 50 community centres to extend existing programs and create new ones addressing emerging needs. Most importantly, it will reinforce the role of community centres in fighting social isolation and loneliness. This exploded throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and we are ready to support our community. The new funding represents a 60 per cent lift to community centres, averaging around $30,000 per centre additionally.

Governments have an obligation to plan for the long term. Youth justice is a critical part of investing in the future of our state. It is challenging. When young people have made mistakes or come into contact with the justice system, we need to ensure they get better support, guidance and resources to help a better future. Our ongoing $21.78 million capital upgrade to the Kurlana Tapa Youth Training Centre will deliver a facility that is fit for the future, including a 12-bed accommodation unit to support children with complex needs, expanding the education and visitor centre spaces and an eight-bed police custody unit.

When times are tough, people can, sadly, turn to gambling. DHS has been at the forefront of efforts to minimise harm. The past year has seen the expansion of Here for the Game. This campaign is an awareness and education program to address the growing presence of sports betting in our community and its potential harm. We are calling out the risks of sports betting, educating communities and saying no to sports betting sponsorships.

With this campaign, an innovative, lively, understandable and reachable campaign, we now have partnerships with Adelaide United, the Adelaide Giants and the Adelaide Crows. I am pleased to report I did not get a rash from wearing the Crows scarf, but it was very quickly replaced by a Port Power scarf. I would love to thank Anne Hatchard and Riley Thilthorpe for the fun and frivolity that we had at the photo shoot. It was a fantastic day.

An important part of government spending is to support the hundreds and thousands of volunteers—about 900,000 here in South Australia—who give their time, energy and passion for free every year. It is National Volunteer Week. I encourage all members to get out and say thank you to as many of their volunteer groups as they possibly can. While volunteers do not get paid, their contribution is priceless.

The South Australian Volunteer Awards were held on 15 May, so a few days ago, and it has been an opportunity to recognise the role that so many people play every day. I attended that with the Hon. Emily Bourke. Katrine Hildyard also attended and, from memory, the member for Heysen was also present. DHS and Volunteering SA&NT collaborate on the Excellence in Volunteer Management Award, and we work with the Youth Affairs Council of South Australia for the Young Volunteer Award. Congratulations to all winners, all nominees and all participants in volunteering. You make life a lot easier for so many South Australians.

Community grant programs never fail to amaze me how small amounts of money can make such a huge difference. Last year, a grant of less than $9,000 saved the Port Pirie Community Garden from closure, and each year hundreds of communities and organisations benefit from this kind of support. In any given year, the Department of Human Services delivers between $2 million and $3 million in grants for a range of purposes.

Grants SA recently opened the Governance and Sustainability round, which focused on supporting community organisations to build capacity. Grants SA also recently opened applications for payment of up to $10,000. The funding can be used to improve a service or facility by procuring new equipment, supplies or infrastructure to enhance activities, programs and facilities. These grants provide opportunities to reduce social isolation and support community wellbeing. Applications close soon, on 25 May. I encourage organisations to apply.

My agencies play a key role in delivering emergency relief after natural disasters, and the recent Murray floods were no different. A total of 4,010 people attended or received a phone call from the Berri, Mannum or Murray Bridge emergency relief centre from November 2022 to February 2023. To late April 2023, emergency relief support included:

425 one-off $300 travel relief grants, totalling more than $127,000;

573 personal hardship grants worth more than $383,000;

76 private rental grants valued at more than $23,000;

175 accommodation grants totalling more than $278,000;

112 essential services reconnections for $119,000; and

123 people were put up in emergency accommodation.

The work is still going. Since then, recovery centres have opened in Murray Bridge, Mannum and Berri and 1,701 people have attended or received a phone call.

We have also announced more support for flood-impacted South Australians who lost household goods or experienced property damage, to make it safer to return home sooner. In conjunction with the Albanese government, we have jointly allocated $1.72 million to deliver these re-establishment grants.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. A. Piccolo.

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