HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-08-29 Daily Xml
Contents
Xml

Appropriation Bill 2023

Estimates Committees

Adjourned debate on motion:

That the proposed expenditures referred to Estimates Committees A and B be agreed to.

(Continued from 6 July 2023.)

Mrs PEARCE (King) (11:49): We are at a really interesting point in time, a time now when, more so than ever, the choices we make have the ability to define our individual and collective prosperity well into the future, and it is so important that we get this right. It is why the estimates process is so important and, with that in mind, I would like to thank all who participated in the estimates committees: those on both sides of this chamber, the many officials who presented over estimates and all the amazing staff from this building who worked so hard to ensure a smooth and efficient process.

Through this work, we are helping to ensure that we are investing in the state's economic future and doing what we can to ensure that no-one is left behind on that journey, because all South Australians should feel the benefits of a strong economy. I believe that the budget reflected this ambition and that the estimates process supported this endeavour.

From what I participated in and observed, it is clear that we are focusing on the highest priorities that are being reflected from our communities—namely, health, housing and cost of living—whilst laying out a clear pathway for economic growth and prosperity for our generation and those to follow. It has been great to see through the estimates process how many ministers and departments are working together and doing all they can in their abilities to achieve this.

For example, take housing. Every South Australian has the right to have a home, but that right is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. Whilst the rising property values have been great for homeowners, so many South Australians are watching their dreams of home ownership slip away. Did you know that the median house price in our state has increased by 35 per cent since 2019? That is substantial.

What also is substantial is the increase in the interest rate and the competition to find secure housing. It is actually making it incredibly difficult to enter the market, with the required amount of savings for a deposit becoming almost unobtainable, particularly if you are also renting. That is why this year's budget focused on helping more people obtain secure housing. Thanks to the Treasurer and ministers, including the Minister for Planning, the Minister for Consumer and Business Services and the Minister for Human Services, we are taking steps to address that.

For starters, we are abolishing stamp duty for thousands of eligible first-time buyers building or buying a new home. We are also helping our first-home owners by increasing the first Home Owner Grant property value cap, from $575,000 to $650,000, and fast-tracking first-home builder approvals. Combined, these measures have the potential to shave years off the time it would take a person to save for a deposit and buy a home.

We are also doing what we can to help increase supply. First off, we are looking at more public housing—564 new homes—and halting the sale of a further 580 public housing properties. This is the first significant increase in public housing that our state has seen in a generation. We are also investing in the single largest residential land release, with 25,000 new blocks across Adelaide's northern and southern suburbs, including approximately 500 homes in Golden Grove. We are delivering over 1,200 more social and affordable housing homes.

With the price of housing and other essentials going up, we knew we needed to do something to tackle the cost of living. That is why we will be investing $254 million over two years in the energy bill relief plan. More than 420,000 households will be eligible under the plan to receive energy bill rebates of up to $500. It is something many residents from my local community appreciate—residents like Alison, who volunteers with Centacare helping to provide energy relief in my community and who has noticed that there has been a stark increase in people seeking support. We have not forgotten about small businesses either. More than 86,000 of them can expect to receive rebates of up to $650.

Additionally, Seniors Card holders will also continue to benefit from our commitment to make public transport free at all times for Seniors Card holders, something I am all too happy to discuss at our local interchange. We will be investing $57.2 million over four years to support non-government organisations maintaining social, community, home care, child protection, homelessness and disability services to vulnerable South Australians in the face of higher wage and inflation costs in 2023.

Existing concessions will also be increased in line with higher inflation through an investment of $44 million over five years. Government concessions, including the Cost of Living Concession, energy concession, medical heating and cooling concession, water concession and sewerage concession will all be indexed at 8.64 per cent in 2023-24, recognising the increase in pressures due to increased cost of living.

We have plans to support families as well, with family-based care repayments being increased, through an investment of $32.1 million over four years from 1 July this year to help carers with the day-to-day costs of caring for a child or young person in care, and by continuing the subsidy to the materials and services charge, benefiting the parents and caregivers of around 120,000 government school students.

The school breakfast program in government schools is also being expanded, with an additional $6.5 million over four years providing over one million additional breakfasts. I have seen firsthand how much assistance this program provides to students, thanks to the amazing work being done at our Lady of Hope School with this program. It provides a nutritious start to the day and a boost of confidence that can make all the difference to help a child obtain the best chance of a solid education and state of wellbeing.

An additional $5 million over four years is also being supplied to support food relief organisations, such as Foodbank, and for the delivery of financial counselling services to assist those in need. Again, this is an example of how many ministers and departments are working collectively with their teams to tackle cost-of-living pressures.

Do not think we have forgotten about health. It is no secret that we have wasted no time in implementing measures that put health front and centre, with last year’s state budget putting an additional $2.4 billion to fund over 550 beds and over 400 more doctors and nurses into the system, just to name a few things.

Locally, the build for more beds at Lyell McEwin Hospital has already commenced. The location for an ambulance station in Golden Grove has been selected, with the build anticipated to commence at the end of the year, with an additional 20 paramedics servicing our community since March and with a further 12 who came on board in the middle of the year.

We recognise that there is still work to be done to improve the health system, which is why further commitments for investment in health were made in this state budget to help address flow within our health system, totalling an additional $4.4 billion of operating funds, compared with the position left by the previous state government. This is important, as addressing the flow will have an influence on the ramping we are experiencing at our hospitals.

Seven-day discharge in our public hospitals will be introduced so patients are able to go home on weekends if they are well enough to do so. This will help tackle bed block, particularly on weekends. That is an investment of $27.6 million over four years to increase medical staffing in major metropolitan hospitals on the weekends and for increased discharge of patients who are ready to leave.

Emergency department avoidance hubs will also be established to provide rapid clinical assessment, treatment and monitoring for patients who may otherwise have headed to the ED for hospital admission, helping to keep our EDs once again available for the most urgent of cases. It is an investment of $2.1 million, and I am particularly pleased that one will be in the north. I am already hearing fantastic feedback from my local community; it is going to be a welcome addition.

Investments are also being made in virtual health care to free up hospital beds. We know the children’s virtual care service has enabled 1,020 ambulances to treat children at home instead of being taken to hospital. It also helps paramedics avoid a trip to the ED and get back onto the road faster. This is an investment of $67.8 million over five years to make this service permanent and expand its services, reducing emergency department presentations by providing virtual care by senior doctors, nurses and paramedics. These are just a few of the investments being made. Each of these will help alleviate the pressures on our health system.

That is a touch of what we are doing to address the priorities raised earlier: health, housing and cost of living, areas that I took a keen interest in following during the estimates process. With the time I have left, I would like to touch on what was discussed through the process of what we are working towards—what is going to help our great state get back on the map and encourage economic prosperity.

Firstly, we are going to establish an Office for AUKUS to coordinate the state’s preparations for the unprecedented nuclear-powered submarine program. This $5.4 million investment will establish the office to help implement the Australian nuclear-powered submarine construction program at Osborne, because we know that AUKUS will transform South Australia’s economy for generations. This new office will play a key role in coordinating agencies across government to ensure we deliver a highly skilled workforce and the infrastructure we need to make the AUKUS program a reality.

The state's Economic Recovery Fund will also be increased by $22 million in 2026-27 to $122 million to support initiatives that promote job creation, build advanced manufacturing capability and increase productivity and development opportunities in South Australia. We will also invest $20 million over four years for the Research and Innovation Fund, including continued funding for the Startup Hub @ Lot Fourteen.

Furthermore, an investment of $6.5 million over four years will deliver South Australia's Small Business Strategy to increase the skills, the capability and the capacity of small business owners and support them to create more jobs to help build the economy. As I said earlier, we want to make sure that no-one is left behind, and we are creating as many opportunities as possible.

There are amazing things ahead of us, opportunities waiting to be seized. This budget sets us on the right path towards these opportunities whilst also making sure that no-one is left behind. This report highlights the level of detail and thought that has gone into each and every one of these measures. I cannot wait to see it come to fruition.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:00): I rise today to speak on the estimates committees and the aftermath of those committees; it is always an interesting process. I would first like to acknowledge Minister Geoff Brock, the member for Stuart. It was good to have a conversation with him earlier today and see that he is on the way to better health after having had a quadruple bypass. There were some significant little dramas along the way, not just involving him directly, but he is here and I applaud that.

In regard to the estimates on regional roads, Minister Tom Koutsantonis stepped up to the plate. He is already the minister looking after roads and infrastructure throughout the state. What really concerns me about regional road upgrades is the state's road maintenance backlog—which was questioned during estimates by me—that is hitting $3 million, despite calls from this side of the house. The RAA is also looking for a four-year road maintenance fund to be considered.

This is absolutely vital right across the state, whether you are on the Far West Coast with the Eyre Highway, the Tod Highway and other highways over there. There are many roads on Yorke Peninsula, including the Upper Yorke Road and others around there. There are some works being done on the Horrocks Highway, and right down around to the South-East, but through parts of the Hills there is much work to be done.

There are still many projects being completed that were instigated when we were in government, including the overpass project at Port Wakefield and the Joy Baluch Bridge duplication, which is pretty well done. I think it was about $250 million between those two projects. It is quite a bit of spaghetti at Port Wakefield but it sort of works. You come through on the old road heading north through the main street and the bypass leads you in behind the town, essentially around the roadhouses. It takes a little bit of coordination when you do it the first time but when you have done it once you have got it.

What I did see recently was some excellent work being done by Fulton Hogan contractors in the Far North, up around the Glendambo/Coober Pedy area, in regard to getting the Stuart Highway up to speed, with some excellent resheeting work. But the issue for this whole state is that there are many kilometres of that work needing to be done around the state. Certainly, we are keen to see much more money hit the ground.

I noticed that more than a third of that $98 million under the road safety package is going towards a roundabout upgrade in Mount Barker, and that is great. I have used that roundabout many, many times, and I was at an event the other day talking to some people from Mount Barker and I said, 'What do you see wrong with that roundabout?' and they said, 'Nothing.' I guess it is great that the member for Kavel negotiated to get that $41 million for that project, but there is so much work that could have been done elsewhere with that kind of money that I think has a higher priority.

Making the media today is the intersection of Curtis Road and Heaslip Road. It is the old stomping ground of my family, and it has certainly changed a lot since my father and my grandfather were there. They are screaming out in the Angle Vale region to get that roundabout duplicated and the drainage works done and everything to get that in place but, alas, politics has got in the way.

There are no new projects of any size for regional roads and there are existing projects that are under threat due to the federal Labor government's new 90-day review process. We are yet to hear anything about the review process, and we are rightly concerned on this side of the house about where that is going as well, especially with the likes of the Hahndorf bypass project, where $250 million was allocated by the previous Liberal governments, both federal and state.

Here we see what I think is another ridiculous outcome, where that project has been carved up. It will not have access made better in a material way for the people of Hahndorf, and those million tourists a year who visit, by the latest thing that has happened there with Minister Koutsantonis announcing that 15-metre trucks will not be able to go through the main street of Hahndorf, unless you are a local truck or you have no other way out.

I know what I would say if I were a truck driver and got pulled over for the $400-plus fine if I was found to be on that road. I would say, 'I have no other choice.' It is ridiculous. There are so many holes in that argument. As the very eloquent member for Hartley said, it is like putting a bandaid over a bullet hole. Much has been said about the Hahndorf upgrade and the issue around compulsory acquisition.

Has anyone complained about the compulsory acquisition that will have to take place with the Mount Barker roundabout? My understanding about Beerenberg Farm is that a small section at the back of the farm would have to be taken up to get that outcome. As someone from a family that has been on the end of compulsory acquisition three times, to do with either defence projects or the movement of the Dukes Highway, you go through the process and you negotiate it and get the best outcome. Certainly, what is going on in Hahndorf is such a terrible proposal and it is not doing what was wanted by the community. We will soon see how many holes it has in it.

There is also the Truro freight bypass project, where $202 million was put up, yet we see it being pushed down the road—no pun intended. It is such a vital link towards the Riverland and that freight route, which at this stage is the alternative freight bypass for freight coming down through the Hills down the South Eastern Freeway.

I have mentioned here many times about how anything bigger than a B-double has to go around that freight bypass—Murray Bridge, Mannum, Sedan, Cambrai, up to the Halfway House corner on the Sturt Highway, and then head up though Truro into Adelaide. It is quite a few kilometres around the back, but certainly there are many, many thousands of tonnes of freight that have already come off the highway and gone around that road. That should be a high priority of the government, but again it is another project that has stalled.

There is the South East Link project and the duplication of the Swanport Bridge—a vital project that should have been done when it was built and opened in 1979. We instigated an investigation into that project, which was the first five kilometres of duplication out towards Tailem Bend, and we do need to get on with this duplication.

In my mind, we need to have procedures, policies, and we need to have money to hit the ground in combination with the federal government of course—with the 80:20 funding split with the federal government and the state government—to get the Augusta Highway, the Sturt Highway and the Dukes Highway all duplicated. The problem is we get the people doing the pricing inside the Department for Infrastructure and Transport and coming up with this huge money: between those three projects, it would be north of $10 billion.

Recently, having travelled to Port Augusta, I saw the work we started on the duplication to Lochiel. That is ongoing and pleasing to see, but there are still another 177 kilometres from Lochiel to Port Augusta that are vital to be done. Obviously, with the important links into places like the OZ Minerals mines at Carrapateena and Prominent Hill, now under the remit of BHP, and also Roxby Downs, station owners and general freight are running through to Darwin where you drag your first two semitrailers, first two-part road trains, through to Port Augusta, then hook up the third. My understanding is that once it is duplicated, which is a little way down the track, we are going to have triple road trains all the way from Port Adelaide through to Darwin.

Certainly, the Sturt Highway and the Dukes Highway both need duplicating to the border, and both those projects are approximately 200 kilometres each. It is not just for the people who live, work and play in those regions, as most people in this state would travel along these roads at some stage in their lives or at multiple times in their lives. The Dukes Highway is a very busy road heading toward Melbourne and does cut through my property.

These projects are absolutely vital, as is also the investigation into the alternative freight bypass around the back of the Hills to make a shorter route than the one going up through the Halfway House, as it is now. That has gone off the map as well at the moment, but we are very keen on this side of the house to see these projects get going.

I note the significant impact that the River Murray flood event had on many regional roads throughout not just my community but into the Riverland in the seat of Chaffey and down into the seat of Finniss, and I acknowledge the work that everyone did to get roads back in order. I do acknowledge there was fast work done on Hunter Road on the opposite side to the main township of Mannum so that we get the ferry open and get things operating again. All the private contractors, all the volunteers, did so much work during the floods.

I note that the top 10 worst grain roads were not considered in the budget. When the question was asked about it, the answer was, 'We're looking at all our roads and evaluating them on the basis of need.' Well, that does not help the people who use Upper Yorke Road, which came to prominence again in the media in the last couple of days with the RAA outlining that the 33-kilometre stretch of that road between Maitland and Kulpara has a one star safety rating.

It does not help the people who use Nine Mile Road out by Malinong, out down my way; World's End Highway; the Mallee Highway, which has some significant issues, especially up between Lameroo and Pinnaroo; Flinders Highway; Owen Road; Booleroo Road; Templers Road; Frances Road; and the Barrier Highway. We are coming into another grain harvest, and farmers are facing enough challenges without the road issues.

Part of estimates was asking questions around emergency services. I want to acknowledge the amazing work of all our emergency personnel during those services, whether they be CFS personnel or SES personnel. MFS personnel were there as well. I note some of these people are paid people, but a lot are volunteers and a lot are private volunteers who did so much work with the River Murray flood event, which we are still clawing our way out of with all the insurance obligations and making sure that people can rebuild and get on with their lives.

There was obviously a lot of funding that was required, and we just want to make sure that all the funding that is necessary to get communities back on track is there, especially for the levee work. We have a lot of work to do in our end of the river in working out where those River Murray levees will sit. One thing we found out during estimates was the $1.25 million in capital and a further $20,000 in ongoing funding to establish a temporary flood barrier capability so the state can be prepared for a future flooding event. I certainly found DefenCell was very handy, especially in Mannum and Murray Bridge.

We have seen $1.9 million being allocated over four years to increase mental health and wellbeing support for the emergency services sector, which is a great thing. I note that the Stress Prevention and Management 24-hour seven-day-a-week helpline recorded a 129 per cent increase in its demand for services from volunteers and family members.

We picked up during estimates that 276 farm firefighting grants were awarded in the first year of the program, but the issue I have with that is that pretty well all trailer units were excluded from that program. I have a trailer unit. I funded it under my own steam and did not worry about a grant program, but it looks like I would have wasted my time anyway. They are very handy units to have on your property. Mine holds 1,500 litres; some hold a lot more, some hold a bit less. They are very handy in assisting with fires and those sorts of operations. I do acknowledge the extra investment in the additional nine aircraft over the next four years to enhance the state's aerial firefighting capability.

Veterans make up a great community amongst the rest of our community, and I acknowledge all our veterans and our serving personnel for everything they have done for our country. We note that there is a $500,000 investment over four years for a veterans community framework, which includes a growth support program and a comprehensive outreach program.

There is $730,000 for the redesign and upgrade of the Pathway of Honour in preparation for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which will happen in August 2025. Certainly, as I am already aware, the main matters of concern for the ex-service community in South Australia include employment, homelessness, family support, carer support and incarceration. These are areas we all need to improve on.

One thing I was keen to question was the pilot of the 2021 Veterans SA Career and Business Mentoring Program, which was initiated by the former Liberal government. It was a success and is currently being run again. I think there is plenty of opportunity that could come if this is expanded into the future. I also note that Veterans SA, as the local state body, made a submission to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in the previous financial year, with a hearing held in Adelaide. That is a terrible statistic, veteran suicide, and we must do better for our veterans, noting that they are willing to put their hand up, as we note the sad loss of three marines off the north of Australia.

In closing, there were some good signs in the budget, like some of the veterans' money being spent, but there is also a lot of improvement to be made in the future.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (12:20): I would like to make a small contribution to this debate. I will not cover the area which has been covered by many of the previous speakers already, and I do not need to repeat what they have said. In terms of my observations on the estimates committee, I had the privilege of chairing one of the committees. I think what they are designed for is sometimes misunderstood.

The estimates committee is predominantly to inquire into the budget itself in detail, and it is appropriate to hold the government of the day to account. Sometimes, it becomes a quasi question time in other forums. That aside, it is a useful process and it is there predominantly for the opposition of the day to inquire and look into the detail of the budget presented and to, as I said, help hold the government of the day accountable for the budget itself.

In terms of the budget, if I were to talk about some key themes, I would say there are three: housing, health and hope. I think this budget was about housing, health and hope in the sense that it clearly had a strong focus on housing. It identified a whole range of areas to be released for land, to put land on the market, to make sure we keep property prices down as low as possible. In addition to that, with the release of new land comes a whole range of challenges around infrastructure.

This government has, I think, fully understood not only the need for infrastructure within those developments but also the impact those developments have on adjacent areas. That is why they have established (I cannot remember the full title) the housing infrastructure unit within the Department for Trade and Investment, within the planning area. That unit's responsibility is to identify the infrastructure needs of these new growth areas. I have some growth areas in and also adjacent to my area, and they will have a major impact on my region.

The delivery of infrastructure in a timely fashion is really important. It is not just infrastructure in terms of roads but also the other bits of infrastructure like schools, health services, policing, etc. When you have quite a centre of growth, like the one that is proposed for Concordia, with an additional 25,000 people, that is essentially the existing size of Gawler once again, so we will need to look at how the health services, policing services, schools and a whole range of services will be delivered to that region.

The unit will look at some of those up-front things, but also, very importantly, start advising departments and agencies about making sure the infrastructure is put into their plans for the future, so that as residents and businesses arrive the infrastructure is there to support them. Some of the infrastructure requirements for Concordia—and they are on the record already but I will just repeat—are very important.

One area is to have some sort of bypass road linking up Lyndoch Road with the Sturt Highway, which is very important firstly for the additional traffic that will be generated by the Concordia development but, just as importantly, to remove the remaining heavy trucks that go down Lyndoch Road and Murray Street, which is a core part of Gawler. We need to make sure they are shifted out of there. That bypass, or link road as we call it, is very critical and is what you would almost call a precondition of that development.

Another important condition, amongst other things, would be the provision of public transport for this new area. We need to work out how we are going to integrate the Concordia development into the rail system—the rail system in which we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in terms of its upgrade. We need to make sure that people in that area have access to the rail system to take them anywhere from Concordia to the city. In fact, it can take them right down to the Flinders University now that it has a station there.

They are two important things, but a whole range of other factors need to be taken into account, such as water management and energy saving provisions. They are all things that in some ways are easier to deal with these days because we understand them better. Some of those bigger issues will take some thinking and obviously some broad thinking to make sure they are addressed.

The government has also reduced stamp duty for first-home owners, which I think is really important to get young people into the home ownership market. In terms of home ownership for people in their early 20s and mid-30s, I saw some figures just recently which indicated that it is at the lowest rate since data has been collected, so it is getting increasingly harder for young people to enter the housing market. If you talk to young people they still do aspire to have a house. It is one those great Australian dreams that you actually own your home. Not only is housing hard to get into given the size of deposits, as well as interest rates, etc., but also rent prices have gone through the roof.

Fortunately, the government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in public and social housing. I understand that this year will be the first time in over 20 years that the stock of public housing will not decrease. It will actually increase over the life of this government. It will be the first time in 20 years that the housing stock held by the public authorities for public housing and social housing will actually increase, there will be a net increase. That is a major achievement because the trend has been the other way for a long time.

We need to make sure that we understand that, while we have policies for affordable housing, the affordable housing point price is not exactly affordable by many people. A lot of people just will not be able to afford it because I think it is over the $400,000 mark for affordable housing. A lot of people are frozen out of the market, so we still need public and social housing to make sure that everybody has a reasonable roof over their head, not only for them but for their families.

Just on that, I am sad to say that the number of homeless people I see in my own town now is probably the worst I have ever seen it since I have been involved in public life, so we have a long way to go. This government is making every endeavour to do that, supported by the commonwealth, which is making billions of dollars available for housing, combined with our policies to release land, which hopefully will make some inroads into making sure that people get reasonable housing in these areas. In my own area, I know that, as we speak now, some additional public housing is being built in conjunction with the private sector and that should certainly help some bottlenecks in my community, but we have a long way to go.

In terms of health, the government has made it clear that health is the number one priority, and that is reflected in the billions of dollars the government is investing over the term of this government to make sure that we have a health system that provides people with the health care they need at the time they need it.

We are actually increasing investment in the Ambulance Service. My own town has an additional unit now. Certainly, the wait times in my town of Gawler have gone down dramatically now we have that additional unit, so people can rest assured that, if you need an ambulance, an ambulance will get there on time to look after you.

In terms of hope, I think the government is doing what it can with the commonwealth to provide some direct support to those families doing it hard by providing a range of concessions—electricity concessions and other concessions. This is targeted support. It is very important that we do target our support for those doing it the toughest in this time.

Another issue I would like to briefly speak about, and one I am also very pleased with, is that the Minister for Education, Training and Skills has now put in place a process and also funding to rebuild our TAFE system, and I commend him for that. In my view, the TAFE system was downgraded by the previous government. From my point of view from my area, we had a number of programs shifted from the northern areas, which young people were not able to access, under the guise of contestability.

I do not have any difficulty with the concept of contestability, but when the public provider was not allowed to actually compete in that market I cannot see where contestability exists. Basically, the public provider was frozen out of the marketplace. What was happening was that some of the more expensive courses were left in the public sector, the cheaper courses were run in the private sector, and then they were trying to compare those apples and oranges. That was an unfair comparison. I am not sure that the previous government had the commitment to the TAFE sector that this government does. I commend the minister and the government for making that commitment.

I think it is important that the public sector is in the marketplace. The public sector can actually take into account not only what the course offerings are but also issues around equity, to make sure sometimes even some courses that do not have a lot of students are needed in certain areas and that our young people throughout the state have access to the appropriate training and skills. Particularly at the moment, we seem to have a skills shortage right across the board in a whole range of areas, and so I do commend Minister Boyer for his commitment to the TAFE sector.

Another thing I would like to quickly comment on is that all the commitments we made to my electorate have been delivered. Some have been delivered already and some are in the process of being delivered through tenders, etc. I am 100 per cent certain that every commitment that we have made in my electorate should be delivered by the end of this financial year, which has certainly been well welcomed by the community. There is a whole range of road safety measures which have been delivered. There is a whole range of sporting infrastructure which is going to be delivered, which is hugely required.

One thing we need to address as local, state and federal governments—I think those governments have to work closely together—is the rise in participation in sport by young women. It is a great policy. I have no difficulties with it, but the infrastructure is not keeping up with those requirements. Certainly in my town we still have young women who have to change in their motor vehicles for their sporting events, and that is just unacceptable. We need to invest. We need some sort of agreement between state, federal and local governments to accelerate the program of rolling out infrastructure to meet the needs of young women and women generally.

It has to be a partnership. It cannot be the case where one sphere of government is holding it up, because the benefits are to local communities, and therefore the local councils should make a contribution. Given the rapid increase in participation, I acknowledge that the whole lot is beyond the means of some local councils, and therefore state and federal governments need to make an appropriate contribution towards that. Again, that is an issue of equity, and that is where the public sector can come in by making sure that we can use the financial resources of both the state and commonwealth governments to make sure there is equity across the state and that young people are not left behind.

They are some of the issues, but I could speak for hours on this budget. As I said, I will not repeat what has been discussed by other speakers already, but they are some of the issues which are very important to my community and which I have highlighted. Certainly, this government is delivering on some of those priorities. As I said, we are delivering on housing, health and hope.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:34): I, too, rise to make a contribution to the Appropriation Bill in regard to the estimates process. As we all know, and as a former minister understanding the complexities that come with estimates, the work that goes into preparing folders by departments for ministers really is quite mind-boggling. An amount of time, effort and money goes into preparing some of those folders that sometimes get opened and sometimes do not get opened, depending on the competency of the minister, but I would like to reflect on what the current government's commitments have been, particularly in trade and investment.

Last year, we saw Minister Champion commit to a range of savings targets. When a government of whatever persuasion comes in, we know that the headwind is always about achieving some of those savings within the department so that you can actually balance the books within your office. It is always fraught with danger and it is always fraught with speculation of what will impact on a particular department.

What I saw in the department from last year was that the minister was dedicated to saving $4.7 million in this budget. Obviously, the most recent estimates showed that there would be an ongoing $4 million each year and continuing to meet those savings targets. He got straight to work and axed the planned Paris trade office. He said that he would be confident that the London office could serve the European market. I am confused. How is it that we have issues with the European Union, and Brexit has broken that tie, yet we are going to have a UK office overseeing the European market? It really does make me wonder.

This year, we discovered that the department overspent their budget by $24 million, so I am really looking for the minister to come out and tell us that there was a $24 million overspend while trying to make some savings targets. What did the minister spend his money on? How did he blow the budget by that $24 million? They boosted their allocated budget for this year by an additional $14 million, and so obviously savings targets are no longer listed in the budget.

The minister claims he is committed to meeting those savings targets still, so how is he going to do it? Is he going to lay off those 10 FTEs over the next year despite hiring seven more? Wow! So you are going to lay off 10, but then you are going to hire a further seven. Sadly, we all know that Labor's poor financial management will cost those 10 people their jobs this year.

This is one of the most important economic departments in government. It is about demanding economic growth, it is about stimulating the opportunity for South Australian businesses and it is about setting the environment for those small businesses to enter an export regime. It is a big move for a small business that has been producing, manufacturing or value-adding any form of product to a domestic market. All of a sudden, we now see some of those businesses looking to enter the export space. It is a big move, it is a big commitment and it also comes with an element of risk.

In a previous life I, too, did a lot of venturing into some of those domestic markets and then one day I flicked the switch and decided that I would export internationally. Yes, that commitment gave me a lot of sleepless nights and, yes, it definitely gave me an impetus to grow the business and to be able to make sure that it was an economy within my business model that had to work, otherwise potentially I would have lost the lot, but it gave me a much clearer understanding of what it means to grace our international shores, our trading partners or potential trading partners, to make sure that we can grow our businesses.

Despite scrapping the trade offices, the savings measures, we now have a new trade office in Frankfurt. That has been announced, and I am sure that will be on the back of some of the work that will be done in defence. I look forward to watching this space to see how that is going to work. Of course, hydrogen is one of this government's now favourite subjects. I really do want to keep a very close eye on that, as I am sure the shadow minister for energy will, too, because I think there is much to be said about generating energy and how we do it cost effectively with the use of taxpayers' dime.

Now that we have the Frankfurt office being announced, does the minister no longer have confidence in his London trade office? I have asked him why, and his response was, 'Because Paris was the wrong spot to put it and Frankfurt is the right spot to put it.' Well, how about that! Furthermore, the government attempted to cover up this year's shortcomings by shifting the goalpost. They boasted in a timely news piece right before estimates committees that they had achieved a $1 billion investment into South Australia. I would like to further understand just how that foreign investment has dropped their targets. Their target amount of $750 million had not changed. They did not meet their goal. There was only $710 million of foreign investment.

The minister has said, 'We just had an absolutely rip-roaring year in terms of international trade,' but he had to shift the goalpost to achieve that. His comments completely undermine the struggles of our wine sector that we are currently facing. I must say, having the Minister for Small Business here as well, I think it is important that trade, investment and small business work very closely together to make sure that there is an overlap of support for small business to become exporters, to grow their business, to grow their footprint, making sure that we can do more and export more with the same commodities.

I think it is also very important that we better understand what the struggles of exporting are, particularly within our commodities sector. The wine industry is going through a serious structural adjustment, obviously losing our largest trading partner. I should say, we did not lose our largest trading partner: our largest trading partner put trade barriers in our way. That has given some serious heartburn to the industry. What we are seeing now is that any product that goes into our largest trading partner will receive a 212 per cent tariff. Unworkable? Yes.

It is the role of the government to sidestep that issue and look at other ways that we can better prepare and better facilitate some of our existing trading partners, looking at developing new relationships with other trading nations so that we can actually get on with doing what we do really well here, particularly in South Australia and the wine industry. In saying that, I do want to congratulate Wirra Wirra. They have struck a deal with the Gallo wine family for distribution over the next two years.

The US is a big market, and I think the potential to grow that market is immense. Sadly, not that many years ago, the Australian wine sector—actually, most of the Australian commodity capacity—dropped the ball. We dropped the ball in South Australia, particularly with barley. We dropped the ball with red meat, we dropped it with lobster, we dropped it with wine and we dropped it with other commodities that have seen a significant impact not only to our economy but to those businesses that were looking to continue their export footprint into China.

The US gives us a great opportunity, and so does the UK, so does Europe, so does South-East Asia and so do the Nordics. There are many focus points that I think South Australia should be putting a lot of energy, money and resources to, but we continue to be distracted by the political will of re-engaging with China. China is our largest trading partner, inbound and outbound. We need China, but we also need to be more diverse.

We cannot continue to wait on the doorsteps of China and hope they will reignite some of those trade relations. Particularly, we have seen the lifting of the restrictions on barley, which was a great outcome. We saw prices lift. We are now waiting for that same model to be engaged into the wine industry. We will not see the same sort of revenue coming into South Australia if we do reignite that relationship.

As an example, we were seeing significant returns on wine, whether it be inland wine or cool area wine. We will never see that again. Sadly, we will now see what was a comparative $2 per litre for inland wine; currently, there are those sharks that are waiting for those relations to be reignited. They are already out there looking to pre-order and forward-book a lot of our South Australian wine. They are only prepared to pay 30¢ per litre.

It is not good, and it is going to have a significant impact, particularly on the Riverland because the Riverland is the engine room of the wine industry. Yes, it has a particular price point. It is something that, in many instances, is put into a lot of supermarkets. It is entry-level wine and it is wine that suits the middle class in a lot of our global markets. That is why it is so important that the government continues to focus on the wine industry as one of our major export sectors—so that we can diversify and so that we do not put all our eggs back into the basket of China.

China, as I will continue to say, is an important part of our export sector, but so are the US, the UK and many of the emerging South-East Asian companies. People talk about India. They talk about the opportunities that India possesses. Personally, I think we are still a decade away from breaking the opportunities in that Indian market. There are small amounts going into some of these new opportunities in global destinations, but we have to make sure that we move the dial and, if we are going to move the dial, we have to go back to some of our traditional markets, whether that be for wine, lobster, wheat or precious metals.

I note that the Premier has made a lot of going over to China to look at resurrecting some of our relations. As I understand it, the Premier went over to China specifically for precious metals, copper and the like. That will see, again, an opportunity for the resources South Australia has a lot of. We have a lot of copper, we have a lot of uranium, we have a lot of barley, we have a lot of wine, we have a lot of lobster and we have a lot of red meat. They are some of the big opportunities that South Australia should continue to put on the plate of any of our trading nations, and I think that is really important.

What we also need to better understand is that we have a great food culture here in South Australia. Food SA is doing a great job representing food manufacturers, producers and exporters. Sadly, as I understand it, Food SA is not getting the opportunities into those international expos. It is not getting the opportunities that other sectors of the government's favourite children are, whether it be defence, space or hydrogen. One of the greatest renewables on the planet is food. In South Australia, I think we are no exception, and that is why we must continue to support those industries, support manufacturing, support food and wine and the great opportunities.

Of course, we know that in trade the biggest sector is tourism. Again, we have taken a hit with tourism. We have taken a hit particularly through the pandemic, but it is now time to reignite South Australia as a destination, just as it is time to reignite South Australia for international education. We have not regained the share that we had. I think it is really important that the government continue to focus on putting energy resources into those sectors so that we can move the dial.

Moving the dial is what growth is. We are not going to get rich by selling lattes to one another. We are not going to get rich by selling half pallets to our international trading partners. We have to fill up ships. We have to fill up lots of containers, and the only way that we are going to do that is by what we are good at and, as I have said, food, wine, beverage and the opportunities for the tourist dollar and the international education dollar are something that we have to continue to beat the drum about.

Our interstate counterparts beat us by 20-fold when it comes to particularly international education. My cynical view of the amalgamation of the universities is that we are a small town and we are looking to be a big university. I think we actually have to have a culture that specialises in areas that will attract international students, that will attract those students to come here, that will then attract their families to come over here to invest and to potentially live longer term. That is how we are going to grow—grow our population, grow our economy and grow our presence in the trade space.

I want to touch on a couple of other areas particularly in estimates. There was quite a bit of talk about water. There was a lot of talk about coming away from water, particularly with the recent floods. I am very disappointed that we are not being supported by the government with a call for an independent inquiry into the recent floods. It was one of the largest disasters in the state's history and yet the government is saying, 'Nothing to see here. We don't need an inquiry. We don't need to know how we can do it better next time. We don't need to know what an audit of our levee banks would do to better prepare us. We don't need to understand what the constraints within the river corridor are going to mean with the next flood.'

We do not know what it is going to mean for the next dry. Obviously, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan has been a conjectural issue, particularly with the federal water minister's announcement last week that they are going to put voluntary buybacks on the table to regain that 450 gigalitres of water. Let me assure you that the 450 gigalitres for the southern connected basin is just a small part of the bigger picture. The 450 is something that South Australia will have a part responsibility for, but we are also forgetting the extra 700 that we have to achieve.

Putting voluntary buybacks as a preferred conduit to achieve this water for a healthy working area river is, I think, fraught with danger. I think it is fraught with political laziness, just like our water minister in South Australia. She has proven to be a very lazy minister. She has engaged a water commissioner who is nothing more than a mouthpiece for herself. He has come out and made outrageous comments. As a water commissioner, he is there as a commissioner not as a political spokesperson. What we have seen of him over recent weeks—and I have been to some public forums where he has spoken—is atrocious. The way he has addressed the crowd is political swill, telling people that he has drunk more water than the former coalition achieved in trying to achieve the 450.

Let me assure you—and I hope that he is listening or that someone might pass on a message—over this 10-year period, we have achieved 2,100 gigalitres of water. We agreed with former Premier Weatherill that we needed to achieve the extra 450. Yes, we are trying to achieve that, but we have already picked up the low-hanging fruit. It is imperative that this government put every option on the table to achieve the water that we need: on-farm projects, off-farm projects and voluntary buybacks. To have the commissioner come out with his political angle, his political swill, I think is absolutely outrageous. I think South Australia could do better. If we take the politics out of achieving water, South Australia will go a long way to achieving water. It already has over the last 50 years.

There is much more to talk about, particularly with water, but I must say that South Australia is doing a great job in the water space. We are achieving water, we are leaders in finding efficiencies and we will continue to do that, whether it is by the end of 2027 or by a later date, but putting all the options on the table is about extending the time frame, about putting all the ways that we can achieve water for a healthy working river, and there is nothing more important or valuable than having that achieved for the people of the Riverland, those irrigators, those food producers, who are looking for leadership, and government members currently are not giving them that leadership.

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (12:55): When reflecting on the estimates process it is really important to acknowledge the hard work of the large number of people who were involved in estimates. I would particularly like to put on the record my thanks to the parliamentary staff who were involved in that process, the ministerial staff involved in that process and the opposition staff involved in that process. There are certainly a large number of people who are involved in not just the questioning but the work behind the scenes, more so than a humble government backbencher is involved in that process, and it is important to acknowledge.

I would like to acknowledge the chairs of our estimates session—yourself, member for Light, and also the member for Giles. I spent about three minutes in the chair for an estimates session and that was stressful enough, so I can only imagine the work and probably the exhaustion that go into chairing those sessions over some weeks, so I acknowledge the chairs as well. It is also important to acknowledge the executive and departmental staff who worked so hard in the lead-up, but also who provide such insight and guidance during the sessions themselves. It is really important to acknowledge the role they play as advisers in that process and how important is the work they do within the departments as well.

Ministers are worth thanking, as are opposition members who question with such aplomb what is going on in the government. I think it says a lot about our democracy, the way we have an open and honest system of scrutiny in South Australia. I always say to the schoolchildren who come through, when they ask, 'Which side of the house should I sit on when I come in for a school tour?', that a strong and fierce opposition makes a stronger government. That is certainly the case and was shown through our democratic process in estimates.

I had the great pleasure of being a government backbencher in a number of estimates committees. I joined the Premier for his estimates committee and I joined the Deputy Premier, Minister Susan Close, in her estimates for the entire period—a long day with a large number of responsibilities. I also joined ministers Scriven and Champion in their sessions as well.

It is a really important time to discuss the importance of our budget. I know that, for me, our budget—and I am hearing the response out and about in my community—is a fair and balanced budget. All budgets are worth scrutiny, but the general reception to our budget has been really positive. It is prioritising things that matter to people, particularly people out in the burbs, where I am lucky enough to represent things that matter: the cost of living, the housing crisis and, of course, for so many people, the question of home ownership, which we know for many generations and for many young people has not been accessible for a large amount of time.

I often talk about my own housing journey when talking about the government's measures. I have spoken at length in this place about when I started primary school and we were homeless. The ability for me to purchase a home a few years ago, with the assistance of a First Home Owner Grant, is a really huge thing, not just for me but for my family, being only the second person ever in our family to have purchased their own home.

When we are discussing the importance of getting people into the housing market I know it all too well, and I know that without the assistance from the government, the building grant that I received, I would not have been able to enter the market then and continue along my home ownership journey. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT