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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-18 Daily Xml
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State Budget

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:17): Supplementary: does the Treasurer accept that unannounced cuts, closures and service withdrawals are indeed broken promises to the electorate of South Australia?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:17): No, I don't, because we said quite clearly in our policy costing document that the savings task that the former Labor government had left in the forward estimates, going up to $715 million by 2021-22, would have to be delivered, whether it was by a re-elected Labor government or a new Liberal government. So I don't accept what the honourable member has said. The former Labor government left in the forward estimates $715 million a year of savings tasks that had to be achieved.

We clearly said prior to the election, openly, transparently and honestly, that we would have to deliver on the forward estimates. It was the former Labor government who refused to provide, through the Parliamentary Budget Office, through questions in the house or through Budget and Finance, the exact quantum of the savings that they had assumed in their forward estimates. Indeed, I was advised that the information was provided to the former treasurer—and, I think, possibly the former premier—to provide to the opposition in the period leading up to the election, but the former treasurer refused to provide that information to the opposition.

We established that straight after the election. I made a ministerial statement prior to the budget and put it on the public record, which said that the former Labor government locked into the forward estimates $250 million worth of savings this year, up to $715 million of savings in 2021-22. So, no, I won't accept the premise of the honourable member's question. These cuts that are being delivered are the former Labor government's cuts, and we are the ones having to do it.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ngo.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ngo, you have the call.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Show some respect, Labor benchers, for your own member. The Hon. Mr Ngo.

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