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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-18 Daily Xml
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Bills

Supply Bill 2015

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 16 June 2015.)

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:24): I rise to support the Supply Bill 2015. This bill is to allow the continued provision of public services in South Australia by allowing appropriation to pay for the cost of continued services run by the government until the budget that was handed down today by the Treasurer passes both houses. I would like to take this opportunity to discuss certain initiatives that the government has progressed since I last spoke on them in my response to the address delivered by our Governor, His Excellency the Hon. Hieu Van Le, when he opened the current session of parliament. The first of these relates to our planning system.

As honourable members would be aware, minister Rau commissioned an independent panel to review the state's planning system. The expert panel was tasked with providing recommendations to improve our planning system. The government has now indicated its intention to progress the great majority of the 22 reforms proposed by the expert panel, and my understanding is that legislation will be presented to the parliament in the very near future.

One of the key reasons we need to get planning reforms right is so that we are able to unlock the economic potential of our great state through the efficient and effective use of land. This is a very important consideration, because not only do we need to increase the value of our exports we also need to create wealth domestically, and these planning reforms aim to assist in this. In the long run, this will help to improve the state's gross domestic product. Only by growing our state's economy will we be able to continue to pass an appropriate level of supply to allow public servants to deliver the essential services our community needs, which I mentioned earlier.

The government has given in principle support for a state planning commission to be established, which will replace the Development Assessment Commission. It will be responsible to the Minister for Planning and subject to his or her direction. It will drive delivery of the state's priorities and have a role in coordinating infrastructure as well. The commission will respond to regional authorities which will be established to provide advice on developments. Councils, meanwhile, will make planning proposals to these regional bodies. Further discussion on this initiative will be required, as councils will continue to administer projects once approved.

The expert panel also proposed a charter of citizen participation. The government has outlined that it supports such a charter in principle. This charter is intended to build early consensus about planning policies and directions between the public, developers and other interested parties. Presently, engagement occurs at the downstream end of the process, and this can result in conflict, frustration and delays—all at avoidable cost. I have seen this first-hand in my many dealings with constituents when I was a counsellor at the Port Adelaide Enfield council.

This charter will promote an overarching engagement with big-picture thinking rather than individual consultation on individual projects. The charter will also promote and engage local communities to become more involved in planning policies and decisions, and this is a welcome move. The current system allows only local residents directly affected by planning decisions at the approval stage to provide input, even though residents wish to be consulted and included at the very start of any planning process.

It is also important to note that the government supports the greater engagement of parliament in the development of planning policies. The Environment, Resources and Development Committee, of which I am a member, presently deals with planning amendments after gazettal. To me, it makes more sense to involve members of parliament at a much earlier stage of the process, to advise and make recommendations to the minister. This would allow parliament to provide input to the minister prior to him or her making the final decision for gazettal.

The government supports, in part, proposals intending to make changes to plans easier, quicker and more transparent. Regionally focused, statewide planning rules will result in a more consistent treatment for changes. The government concurs with the expert panel that, among other reforms, private landowners, government agencies and infrastructure providers should be able to initiate a zoning of land. On this matter, however, the government is of the view that the ultimate decision for any change to development plans, including zoning changes, should reside with the minister.

Members would have been interested to note the proposal to clarify the approval pathways for projects of state significance. The government is aware of the importance of this reform and is seeking to undertake further investigation. It agrees that the state should retain a power to call in major projects, with advice where required.

The government has set up the Office of the Coordinator-General to drive investment, cut red tape and create jobs. The office has responsibility to assist project proposals with an investment value over $3 million of economic significance. The office supports the proposed projects by working with the Development Assessment Commission, as the planning authority, to assist in navigating the planning and development system.

Since the introduction of the Office of the Coordinator-General in July 2014, over 100 proposals from 40 companies or individuals have been referred to the state Coordinator-General for consideration and assistance. It estimated that these projects are worth over $1 billion and have created hundreds of jobs. It also estimated that every million dollars invested in construction in South Australia generates $2.9 million and 37 jobs in the economy as a whole.

This week, Mr George Chin, the president of Chinatown, invited me to dinner with several investors from Malaysia who were very keen to invest in this state. I believe that one of the investors just bought the Myer Centre. I was able to tell those investors that the planning reforms that the government is proposing is a way to cut down on red tape and give investors the confidence that this government is serious about generating economic activity.

As a member of parliament, I am keen to use my position and my ethnicity to promote our state to our Asian investors. I am told that those investors who attended the dinner are very keen to talk to the government about a number of the proposed projects that have been in the media lately. I am very confident that something will eventuate very soon. I would like to thank the president of Chinatown, Mr George Chin. I know he works pretty hard in promoting Chinatown but behind the scenes he is also passionate about South Australia in promoting investment, and so I sincerely thank him for his work behind the scenes.

Opponents of the Office of Coordinator General argue that this reform bypasses local communities by going over the top of council. My response to this is that for several years now, local councillors on the Development Assessment Panel (DAP) have been prohibited from speaking to their residents about development proposals. Under the current system, councillors on the DAP are not able to reflect community views and wishes when assessing development applications. Councillors must assess a development proposal on merit when considering the council's own development plan; therefore, it is a myth to say that the local voice has been taken away due to this reform.

If the state wants to encourage development and give investors the confidence to invest in this state, then why would you allow 68 or so councils in South Australia to individually interpret planning law from their own planning departments? This clearly results in excessive compliance costs that arise from unnecessarily varied and inconsistent zoning rules. These reforms will mean that the same type of developments is assessed against a much more consistent set of rules regardless of the location of the proposed development.

The government also supports in principle the integration of open space in the planning system and we will undertake further investigation into this. Presently I understand that developers involved in large subdivisions of land into multiple allotments must set aside at least 12.5 per cent of the land for use by the general community. For smaller subdivisions this is impractical and a payment of an open space fee may be required instead, the amount being calculated on the number of additional allotments created and the current rate set by regulation. To ensure funds are spent in areas where highest need exists, a review of the use of open space levy funds has been proposed by the expert panel. I believe that this has the in-principle support of the government.

I cannot leave this topic without referring to the government support for an online planning system. Presently the enormous number of types of proposals and amendments can clog the system, delaying matters for all concerned. A fully digital approach to planning would result in savings for agencies, councils, applicants, ratepayers and taxpayers. Increasing the value and volume of our exports is also key to our future prosperity and ensuring that we can continue to provide adequate levels of resources to the Public Service.

I have already spoken about my support for the establishment of a nuclear industry here in South Australia. It has been interesting to follow the proceedings of the royal commission established by the government being conducted by Rear Admiral the Hon. Kevin Scarce. Closing dates for submissions are still a little while away, not until late July or early August, which gives ample time for all interested parties and stakeholders to have their evidence considered.

Mr Scarce and his royal commission have already visited a number of regional areas for public meetings such as Mount Gambier, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Berri, Yalata, Oak Valley, Umuwa, Coober Pedy and Leigh Creek.

I am aware that there has been some commentary criticising the formal manner in which submissions must be presented to the commission, particularly with regard to the requirements for verification of identity through the authority of a justice of the peace. I am acutely aware of the need not to disfranchise groups of Aboriginal elders or other South Australians who want to contribute to this debate. I am confident, however, that Mr Scarce also realises these issues and is not in the business of dissuading anyone from making a valued contribution to the commission.

My understanding is that Mr Scarce will actively consider all submissions in order to make recommendations. Any calls suggesting that there are predetermined outcomes attached to this royal commission only devalue the work that Mr Scarce is undertaking. At the conclusion of its investigation the royal commission will produce a report, which will make findings and recommendations based on the evidence it obtains. The report and its recommendations are required to be provided to the Governor of South Australia no later than 6 May 2016.

In planning and nuclear energy I have focused on areas that need reform to improve the economic well-being of our state and create jobs. Only through the security of our economic well-being can we focus on improving areas of spending in our economy, which improve the social good. Health is one of them, and it is important that this government continue to progress its health reforms, as set out in the Delivering Transforming Health Proposals paper.

Changing population, demographic and health trends, along with burgeoning advances in medical technology, are changing the ways in which our health services operate, both currently and into future. It is the government's responsibility to ensure that our communities are best served with best practice, consistent, sustainable care. Over the last 12 years the government should be proud of its achievements in upgrading existing infrastructure and its investment in the new hospital and research facility.

Transforming Health now looks towards delivering services in those new and enhanced facilities. Over a nine-month period the government consulted with medical, nursing and midwifery practitioners, allied and scientific health professionals and community and consumer representatives to evolve a transformative strategy whereby:

1. The new Royal Adelaide Hospital will be the pre-eminent multi-trauma facility for the state. Furthermore, it will provide specialist spinal and brain injury rehabilitation, advanced stroke, heart disease and lung disease care, and more complex elective surgery.

2. The new RAH, Flinders Medical Centre and the Lyell McEwin Hospital will be major emergency super sites.

3. Modbury Hospital will continue to serve its approximate community. The retention of key services and over $30 million of investment into Modbury Hospital is a stark contrast to what members opposite did when they were in government, which was to privatise Modbury Hospital.

4. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital will continue to serve its appropriate community and will benefit from a $20 million investment to upgrade facilities, including a new hydrotherapy pool, an additional level to the applied health and rehabilitation building and expended allied health and rehabilitation services, as well as refitting existing ward spaces to add on-ward gymnasiums for quicker rehabilitation.

We must remember that this $20 million of investment is on top of the $136 million invested to complete a two-stage development of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Noarlunga Hospital will be upgraded to provide a walk-in emergency clinic enabling it to provide urgent treatment and care more efficiently.

Construction on the Noarlunga ambulance station is due to be completed in mid-2016. Meanwhile, the design work for the new ambulance station at Northfield is well advanced. Planning and design work for the new neonatal unit at Flinders Medical Centre is well underway, and major improvements to the Lyell McEwin Hospital are on track for completion on schedule. Furthermore, the establishment of nine dialysis chairs at Gawler is on target for completion at the end of 2015. The community can be assured that Transforming Health will futureproof our health system by virtue of a $252 million investment.

I cannot conclude these remarks without reference to the Repatriation General Hospital, known to all of us as the Repat. The government knows the Repat holds a special place for many veterans, their families, its staff and, indeed, all South Australians.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: What are you closing it for then?

The Hon. T.T. NGO: I will tell you. This is why the Weatherill government—

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: No, you can't blame the feds.

The Hon. T.T. NGO: No, no. This is why the Weatherill government is committed to ensuring that only the highest level of quality care and services are available to our veterans—not only for current veterans, but veterans who will need support in the near future.

The government cannot continue to provide the highest level of care and services to our veterans in the current facilities. These facilities were built in 1942 for soldiers returning from war. Our veterans deserve the very best treatment and care when they need it; that's why the government is investing in a new $15 million centre for excellence for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Repat's Ward 17 provides an excellent service and has served us well since 1942, but the reality is the buildings were built and designed for the last century and cannot provide the spaces, equipment and layout that is needed for modern medical treatments. This is why, as part of the government's Transforming Health initiative, services from the Repat will be integrated into other hospitals, with orthotics, Prosthetics SA, the chapel, museum and remembrance garden remaining at the current Repat site.

The government has established a veterans consultative process to make absolutely certain that the new centre meets the special needs of veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Leading this panel, which has already met on several occasions, are Transforming Health ambassador, Professor Dorothy O'Keefe, and Associate Professor Susan Neuhaus, Chair of the Repat Foundation.

In endeavouring to reassess service provisions in this area, the government has sought the advice of clinicians and related health professionals. It is clear that rehabilitation is most successful when it starts as patients become ready to take that next step, even when they are still recovering. Accordingly, the government is integrating the rehab services currently provided at the Repat into the new rehabilitation building at Flinders Medical Centre. This purpose-built facility will comprise 55 new rehab beds along with a new gymnasium and a hydrotherapy pool. The current Repat site will remain in the hands of South Australians, as is proper.

The minister for health has made it abundantly clear that the land will not be sold for major residential or commercial development. The government is meeting its election commitments and will continue with getting on with the job of governing this great state. I commend the Supply Bill to the house.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:50): I understand that all second reading contributions on the Supply Bill have been made and I would now like to take this opportunity to make a few concluding remarks. Firstly, I would like to thank all honourable members for their second reading contributions and just state that this bill provides for government service delivery until the budget has been passed by the parliament and the Appropriation Bill 2015 receives assent.

In the absence of special arrangements in the form of the Supply Act, there would be no parliamentary authority for expenditure between the start of the new financial year and the date on which the assent is given for the main Appropriation Bill.

In closing the debate, I just want to emphasise the necessity of consistent policy approving financial management in times of considerable economic uncertainty. There should be no doubt in the minds of members that South Australia is facing a number of daunting challenges, all with the potential to have grave employment consequences: the closure of Holden's, the withdrawal of $500 million in federal support for our car industry, the collapse in commodity prices for our mining exports, the continuing uncertainty caused by the federal government's policy on submarine and shipbuilding, and the $5.5 billion worth of federal government cuts to health and education.

These challenges will make a substantial impact on our economy and will continue to play out over the coming months and years ahead. Our government's response is to see this context as a glass half full rather than a glass half empty. We have a strong and diverse economy across many sectors, including agriculture, food and wine, mining, defence, medical research, health care, education and tourism, to name a few. The diverse mix provides an excellent foundation upon which we can build a new economy. This task requires South Australia to develop an outward looking international approach for our products and services, in particular engaging with China and the emerging Asian economies to our north.

Having devoted a great deal of energy in recent times to reinforcing and building South Australia's excellent profile as a quality education provider in the Asian region, I have seen the potential benefits that can come to us if we get behind the government's 10 economic development priorities.

The solutions to the issues facing South Australia are complex and will require hard work and wise investment decisions, tempered with a streak of innovative brilliance, but success is possible, because by being both realistic and optimistic, we have within ourselves the capacity to create a truly brilliant future for South Australia. I thank honourable members who have contributed and look forward to the Supply Bill being dealt with expeditiously through the committee stage.

Bill read a second time.

Committee Stage

Bill taken through committee without amendment.

Third Reading

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:54): I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Bill read a third time and passed.

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