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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-05-12 Daily Xml
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Address in Reply

ADDRESS IN REPLY

Adjourned debate on motion for adoption.

(Continued from 11 May 2010.)

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (17:56): Prior to the election, many people across the state to whom I spoke were saying that the government had run out of puff, vision and direction and it was looking very tired. That was a pretty obvious fact to most of us who keep an eye on the government of the day.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: They gave us another four years, Robert.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: The honourable member says that they gave them another four years. In one sense, yes, they did. The Leader of Government Business said that the two major parties received an absolute majority of the Legislative Council votes, but the fact is that crossbenchers are still here based on a system. The fact is that the government is still here based on a system which is not one of an absolute majority of votes or this government would not be here, it would be out and a new government would be in. I think government members need to understand that, when they talk about representation in the Legislative Council, they would have been out on their ear because 52 per cent of the absolute majority of South Australians said that they did not want this government.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley interjecting:

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: Four years to get their puff back. Well, they had better get onto their oxygen bottles pretty quickly. The Governor is a great person and one whom I admire, but he simply reads the government's prepared speech at the opening of parliament. We watched the federal budget last night and they called that a boring budget. If they thought the federal budget was boring, they should have been here listening to the vision for the next four years because, in comparison, it made last night's federal budget incredibly exciting. Where is the vision? Where is the lateral thinking? Where is the strategy, the real direction and reinvigoration of a government that has now been given a third term?

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: It's all here, mate. You just can't see it, that's the problem.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: As the honourable member said, it is all there, but we cannot see it. It is not being spelt out; it is not being shared properly with the South Australian community. Over the last eight years, this government has been blessed with an incredible growth tax called the GST, one which I can strongly remember both the now Premier and the now Treasurer doing everything in their power to oppose, pull apart and prevent from occurring.

What a wonderful opportunity for the South Australian community to be given a growth tax, a consumption tax, which grew and grew over the past eight years, yet apart from what the federal government has delivered for South Australia, little has been delivered by the South Australian government. They talk about record amounts of infrastructure. When you drill into those projects, on most occasions, clearly the big partner is the commonwealth government. Yet we now have a razor gang coming in that is going to slash at least $750 million. That was not reported when the Governor came in here to give his speech—nothing about the $750 million.

In fact, today I heard the Treasurer say that the instructions to the razor gang were to go further than $750 million. He would not say how much further he wanted them to go so that he would be able to have a better opportunity of cherry picking what he cuts with the $750 million and what he chooses not to cut. Of course, that comes through to priorities.

I ask honourable members in this chamber whether they agree with the government's priorities when so many basic essentials are not being delivered for South Australians. As we come out of this election period and we go into a new session, there is over $2 billion of what are effectively really unfunded projects, including gold-paved walkways between the new Adelaide stadium and further expansion of the Adelaide Convention Centre.

If one goes out into the country in a Commodore such as the one I drive, the speed limit between Willunga and McLaren Vale has been reduced from 100 km/h to 80 km/h but even at 75 km/h my Commodore is bottoming out. However, there is no announcement about even catching up on basic things that should be provided to South Australians like roads and safety issues around those roads.

There is no real vision: it is all hinged on mining and defence. I am not against mining or defence: I support them both, but where is the focus on food security and value-added agriculture in a hungry world? Do you know where the focus is on that? Cutting PIRSA. I will predict that when the razor gang comes out there will not be a PIRSA as we know it; PIRSA will come under DWLBC.

There are 110 people coming out of the department already, and my contacts tell me that there is another heap to be shreddable. You might as well do away with PIRSA altogether and not just slip it in under a super department. I understand that we are going to see even bigger super departments, but show me where efficiencies, cost savings and positive benefit of delivery to the South Australian community have occurred with the existing super departments like Families SA (which is also responsible for Housing SA) and a range of other entities! Is there better delivery of services there? Is there better protection for children there? I do not think so.

The justice department is a monster of a department but I hear that it is going to increase even more. I am told that some of the most senior CEOs now are knocking at the knees, worried about whether they are going to be tapped on the shoulder when the razor gang reports.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley interjecting:

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: No, it is not scaremongering. I know a few of those CEOs and they are fairly worried—fairly worried, indeed—and so they should be. It is not scaremongering at all. If I was one of those CEOs I, too, would be pretty worried about the razor gang.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: It's all good news.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: The honourable member says, 'It's all good news.' Let us wait and see when the razor gang reports. Let us see what sort of management practices they recommend.

With the dodgy how-to-vote scandal that transpired, how can we trust Labor when it does that sort of thing? I look forward to supporting the select committee. It will be interesting to see who was the architect of the dodgy documents, the designer of the T-shirts, etc.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable member might want to stick to the Governor's speech.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: I want to finish on mandates, which the government talks about. As one of the 22 members in here, I do not believe that the government has a mandate to do everything that it says it is going to do. I do not believe that it has a mandate to put our grandchildren into debt with a greenfield site for the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

I am not sure whether they have a mandate to spend the money they intend to spend—in the paper today it is absolutely guaranteed, even though it is not signed off—on Adelaide Oval, because the member for Adelaide was tossed out. I do not believe they have a mandate from that point of view and, with 52 per cent of the people and the Save the RAH party raising the profile, I do not believe they have a mandate for the new hospital.

I look forward to what the razor gang will deliver. I also hope that this government does get reinvigorated and does what the Hon. Ann Bressington said about listening, delivering, being trustworthy, and the like. Our job in this council is to keep the government honest. With the crossbenchers and other members, I look forward to ensuring that happens and there is reinvigoration, real vision, real direction and real sustainable opportunity for the state of South Australia, because I did not hear it in the Governor's speech the other day.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.

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