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

Mr BROWN (Florey) (14:59): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer inform the house of any budget impact of alternative trials of on-demand bus services in regional areas?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:59): The opposition has a penchant for trials: a trial of on-demand bus services in Mount Gambier for six months, $4 million; a trial for on-demand bus services in Victor Harbor, that's another $4 million; a trial of an on-demand bus service in Port Pirie, another $4 million; a trial of on-demand bus services in the Barossa, another $4 million; and a trial of on-demand bus services in the Adelaide Hills to Echunga, Meadows and Macclesfield, that promise made by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, $12 million for six months.

These are conservative figures. I have included the cost of new buses. I have done them a favour, however, and I have not included the cost of new depots. Depots are expensive. Of course, they are very, very expensive. That is $28 million for a trial. Let's assume these trials are successful. Why would you conduct a trial if you didn't want it to succeed? If the trials are successful and they're elected, now we are talking about $224 million over the forward estimates. Again, I haven't even spoken about cutting $1.6 billion out of revenue, one-third or a quarter of the state's total revenue in taxes.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Members opposite like these types of trials, and yelling out abuse doesn't change the fact that they are spending—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey will come to order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —$3.7 billion in commitments to date. I haven't even spoken about the things they have called on us to do. These are commitments that they have made if they are elected but, of course, there are all the things in the meantime that they have said that they would call on us to do had they been in office. We will detail all of these in the lead-up to the election, but it's not even Christmas yet.

We haven't even started the campaign yet and they have spent $3.7 billion. They are talking about cutting either a quarter or a third of the state's total tax revenue, and they claim they can do it by just growing the economy. So it is the power of Tim Whetstone's personality that is going to somehow fill this void. This is the same party that promised us they could get a tram to turn right. Remember that? 'Easy! Yes, we can make the tram turn right, no problem. We'll do that just by saying it can happen.' Of course, they get elected and they realise the laws of physics apply and it can't be done.

It is just like promising you can cut a third of the state's revenue and it won't matter, no-one will notice, it will be easy. 'We will just click our fingers, this revenue will be gone and it won't matter.' This is the same party that promised GlobeLink. Remember GlobeLink? Remember the sweeping roads behind the Adelaide Hills? Remember the 24-hour airport out at Monarto? Remember the railroad all the way up to the Adelaide Hills? Remember those things? 'We will just click our fingers and build it.' Of course, it didn't happen.

That's $3.7 billion and we haven't even started the campaign. Six months of bus trials, $28 million. This keeps on racking up. We have gone through every single social media post every member has made, every Facebook post and everything they have said. We have added it all up and we will show members opposite exactly how much they have spent.

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