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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-05-30 Daily Xml
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Brabham Supercar

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15:18): Final supplementary arising from the original answer: does the Treasurer agree with the support that was given to this company to make this car in South Australia?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:19): I will make a judgement about that when I see the nature of the support, the nature of the clawbacks that might be provided. As a general principle, the incoming Marshall Liberal—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Well, the honourable leader doesn't have to write this down; it has been said about 15 times in this chamber and about 100 times publicly, so there is no news here. The incoming Marshall Liberal government's position in relation to jobs growth and economic growth is quite simply that what we want to do is actually ensure that our businesses in South Australia, in particular our small and medium-sized businesses, are nationally and internationally competitive. To do that we have to try to reduce the costs of doing business in South Australia, so that the costs of doing business are both nationally and internationally competitive. That means looking at the range of state taxes and charges, and that's why the incoming state government, unlike the former government, is pledged to abolish payroll tax for all small businesses in South Australia.

Any small business with a payroll under $1.5 million, after 1 January next year, under a Marshall Liberal government will not be paying payroll tax. That's the sort of tax reduction, reducing the costs of doing business in South Australia, of which we are supportive. We also want to reduce the range of other taxes and charges that apply to businesses.

We want also to look at the costs of doing business, such as workers compensation. Credit to the former government and the former attorney-general in putting through legislation in the parliament, which we supported in a bipartisan fashion, that saw a reduction in workers compensation premiums from almost 3 per cent to 1.8 per cent, and again in the last four weeks, I think it was, the 1.8 per cent is to be further reduced to 1.7 per cent. We are still at a slightly higher level than some of the Eastern States, but we are pledged to reduce the costs of doing business.

We are pledged also to reduce the costs of doing business in terms of utility costs: electricity, the much lauded and widely acclaimed incoming government's energy plan, being led by minister van Holst Pellekaan, is in terms of reducing the cost of electricity. With the cost of water in South Australia, an independent inquiry is to be conducted by someone commissioned by the government to try to drive down water prices and water costs in South Australia.

Red tape and overregulation: whether it be in shop trading hours, whether it be in planning or whether it be in related areas like that, all of those areas add costs for doing business in South Australia. So there is a comprehensive program from the incoming government to reduce the costs of doing business, and therefore there will be less emphasis on picking winners.

We don't think Labor politicians—or even Liberal politicians, but particularly Labor politicians—are the best people in the world to be picking winners in terms of growing jobs and the economy. The record of Labor politicians in South Australia, with the State Bank, with SGIC, but also nationally, does not show them in a good light. We don't think a combination of politicians and public servants, with the greatest respect, is the best way of picking winners in South Australia.

Frankly, if we reduce the costs of doing business, so that our businesses are nationally and internationally competitive, we believe that is where jobs growth will occur, and there will be much less emphasis on picking winners. It will never be a case where governments will not invest in certain industry sectors in particular, such as the defence sector and a variety of industry sectors like that, but that is the mature way to go about jobs growth and economic growth in South Australia, rather than the juvenile way the former government went about it.

The PRESIDENT: Before I call on the business of the day, I remind honourable members that, when they seek leave to make a brief explanation, they should advise the chamber of the topic, as it is a matter of courtesy for the other members whether they wish leave to be granted.

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