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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-06-18 Daily Xml
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Supply Bill 2019

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 16 May 2019.)

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (17:02): I rise today to indicate that the Labor opposition will not seek to prevent this bill from passing the Legislative Council. We have always stated that the opposition wanted to be a helpful opposition, and we are a helpful opposition, almost always. We are going to allow this bill to pass because we are helpful, despite what the Liberals have done in previous years to bills that sought to have budgetary provisions in them, and this just shows how extraordinarily helpful we are.

I wish to reflect on some of the things that we saw in the budget last year. In the Attorney-General's portfolio, in particular, we saw some massive cuts. The Communication Partner Service grant was cut by $319,000 a year. This grant had previously supported adults and children with complex communication needs who came into contact with the criminal justice system. The disability justice specialist training grant saved $100,000 a year through the discontinuation of the arrangements for specialist interview training to assist the interviewing of vulnerable witnesses.

These were not huge cuts. They were mean and petty cuts that will make it much more difficult for some of our state's most vulnerable people—children and adults living with a disability—to access the justice system. Consideration to restoring this sort of funding should be given by the Premier and the Attorney-General.

There were other cuts that go directly to community safety: concierge services that manage taxi ranks saved $190,000 a year by discontinuing these services in Adelaide, Glenelg and Port Augusta. The opposition heard from many people how valuable these services were for not just managing the taxi ranks and any fights or violence that broke out there but also offering a service to help people who were in need very late at night.

Cuts to the crime prevention grants saved $3.9 million over four years, with ongoing savings of $1.1 million through discontinuing crime prevention and CCTV camera grants. Cutting the grant for maintenance of CCTV in the Adelaide city council area saved $113,000 per year. These cuts will make our city a much less safe place. The Attorney-General needs to consider what she would say to the worried parents whose children will be out late at night without CCTV coverage or managed taxi ranks.

The Legal Services Commission had savings of $1.2 million a year and, disturbingly, the grant of $550,000 a year to SA Native Title Services was discontinued. Access to justice is a very big issue, and it seems that the Liberal government has not done anything to address that. They have slashed millions of dollars from courts, which will mean longer delays at every level of the justice system. The Marshall Liberal government's ability to manage budgets should not be at the expense of the community's access to justice.

It seems pretty clear that there are more cuts in the budget that has just been handed down. Some were announced or leaked out before the budget. We have heard that Brand SA and the I Choose SA campaign, two champions of South Australian produce, are being closed down. We have heard that Reclink has had a cut of $50,000 a year. Their grant, which they have received for the last 14 years, has been completely cut. We have seen all the funding to RecFish be cut. We have heard that potentially there are cuts to things like Tauondi college, whose funding could be closed down.

We have heard the Liberal government refusing to rule out the privatisation of our rail network. The Liberal government has not ruled out privatising our trams and trains. I think that continuing down the path of this privatisation is a decision that will come to haunt the Liberal government. I have been at train stations over the last few weeks and had comments when people signed petitions. It is the first time I can remember that there were lines of people waiting to sign a petition against the Liberals' possible cuts to our rail network.

I experienced comments along the lines of: 'I voted Liberal last time,' but they signed the petition and said, 'I will never make that mistake again.' I think that flirting with privatising our rail network is something that the Liberals will come to regret. We have seen the announcement of a beer tax. Some venues are set to pay increased liquor licensing charges of more than $18,000 a year. In the lead-up to this budget, we heard about the Liberals' plans to tax the regions, a regions tax, an additional $100 to $400 for property owners in outback areas without a council. Now that they are in government, the Liberals are once again disregarding people in outback South Australia.

We have seen the Liberal government introduce a tradie tax. For example, a plumber, electrician or gasfitter will have to pay the following government charges from 1 July before they even lift a tool: individual contractor licence renewal fee, up by 10 per cent; registration fee for tradies performing plumbing, gasfitting or electrical work, up by 10 per cent; registration for a light commercial vehicle, up by over 5 per cent; and registering a trailer, also up by over 5 per cent. All these add up.

This is a direct attack on some low-paid workers in our community. Again, I think how those members of the Liberal cabinet and those in the party room who sit around and nod when it is suggested that we put up these sorts of taxes will come to rue the day that was done. These increases are well above CPI. They come at a time when wages growth for most people is either very low or non-existent, yet the cost of living has been forced up very dramatically in a whole lot of areas.

We have even seen a new tax on fun, with the Marshall Liberal government announcing a plan to introduce a new police rent tax. People attending major events, which could include AFL, cricket, the Royal Show, music festivals, the Tour Down Under, concerts and the Fringe, could all pay more for what they do as a result of this new fee.

We have heard the police commissioner say that event organisers will have to pay this new police rent tax even if they do not want to. According to the police commissioner, it will be up to the police to decide if an event needs police presence and if the commissioner decides they do need police presence, the police can take it upon themselves to charge the organisation for that.

So an organisation may get no say whatsoever in whether or not they need a police presence and if it is deemed that they do, it is not up to them: it is up to the police to decide whether they have to pay this new police rent tax. Where do we think that will be paid for? There is almost no doubt it will be passed onto consumers who want to enjoy the best of what Adelaide and South Australia has to offer. This is a new tax by the Marshall Liberal government on having fun.

We have also heard reports that the Crows, the Power and the SANFL will soon be hit with transport levy increases—a footy tax for just going to the footy. We know that already some of the prices are huge for people to enjoy going to the football. Just last Thursday, I was at the football watching the Crows. We had an emergency and had to leave just before—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Were you in a corporate box?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: No, not a corporate box: the Richmond members' section. We had to leave just before full-time because of an emergency—we were losing badly.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: The emergency was that you were getting flogged, was it?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: That is exactly the emergency that forced us to leave. We know that SA Pathology is still under threat from the Liberal government, with the plan to cut services across hospital laboratories, cut staff and shut down collection centres prior to their plans for privatisation, fattening up the organisation for sale.

We have seen the Liberal government, with Premier Steven Marshall and Treasurer Rob Lucas, increase fees to hospital car parks and car registration and licences. Nurses, cleaners and other hospital staff will be forced to pay hundreds of dollars extra per year for parking, while patients and their families will be slugged extra as well. It is a tax on health and those working in our health system, another tax by this Liberal government that increases costs of living even further.

Motorists are being targeted, with car registration and driver's licence fees up 5 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively. Even the reminder fee for an expiation notice is being increased by nearly 20 per cent. Hospital patients and their families, as well as nurses, as I said, will be targeted with hospital parking fees ramped up dramatically.

Public transport commuters are being targeted. It is not enough that our commuters live under the fear of privatisation under this government, they are getting their fees increased with the reintroduction of a fee for the Metrocard, the abolition of two-section fares and the jacking up of all fares well above the rate of inflation. That is combined with fewer services being offered. We have seen a reduction in services under the transport minister.

These are just things we have found out before the budget was actually handed down today, so we can imagine what horrors await members of the public, what huge rises in costs of living over and above the beer tax, the fun tax, the tradie tax, all the other taxes that this government has introduced that make it harder for South Australians to make ends meet. Over the coming days and months, as the budget is examined, we will no doubt find the horror that will be inflicted on South Australians from this mean-spirited Liberal government.

I think there will be some ministers who will be quite astonished that they have been hoodwinked. They really do not know what the Treasurer has done. They have just been fleeced. They will have had their pockets picked and, as time goes on and they realise the programs that they have unwittingly agreed to cut, they will have no option but to agree with it because they sat there and nodded their heads and did nothing when these cuts were going through the cabinet and the party room.

It means that the claimed savings in something like the emergency services levy have been completely and utterly wiped out by all of these new taxes, these huge increases in fees, by this Liberal government. Also, the Liberal government has yet to even come close to delivering on their promises for things like reduced power prices. It is just not happening. They have absolutely broken their promise to reduce the cost of living for South Australians and South Australians will know this. With those words, as I said, we are a constructive opposition, so we will be supporting the passage of this bill.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (17:14): When the ancient Roman Empire went into decline, the rulers of the day resorted to a novel policy to quell civil unease. As a diversion from their domestic problems, they doled out free food and staged entertainment spectacles and it worked for a while. It should not come as a surprise that this bread and circuses style of diplomacy is not foreign to modern-day politics or this government.

As the Treasurer has told us, he has a huge headache to contend with to balance his books—a half a billion dollar shortfall in GST revenues—so he told us today he has borrowed more because the Reserve Bank says that debt will be good for the economy.

Over the past few months, our own emperor of the exchequer has donned his robes as the harbinger of doom and gloom, delivering fiscal blows by a thousand cuts to a myriad of services and organisations, while dropping strategic grenades of price hikes here and there. They set off a cluster of spot fires of rage and angst, counting on them burning out before the firestorm arrived today. We are seeing families being hit with a raft of cost-of-living increases—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: Outrageous.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: Exactly—in excess of the CPI in some cases. They have wielded the axe and slashed the razor in many areas, which is unfair, unreasonable, unworkable and plainly mean-spirited. In today's budget, he is indexing fees and charges to 5 per cent, so people will be paying more for things like council rates, with an increase in the waste levy of almost 40 per cent.

Some have hit the vulnerable and disadvantaged in our community, whose voices of despair can be drowned out or brushed aside simply because they can. Let's start with transport. One of the most mean-spirited decisions is not to guarantee subsidised taxi vouchers for people with a disability beyond the end of the year because of a rollover to the NDIS. It hurts those who are reliant on assistance to get to appointments, study or work. It also affects their social activity.

I received an email from constituent and former work colleague Annette Holden, who now only has 2 per cent vision, about her own plight. She wrote to the Minister for Transport and basically got fobbed off. Here is some of what she wrote that highlights what people like her are having to endure:

Dear Minister,

After two medical appointments this morning I have just spent more than 1.5 hours attempting to get home with my Guide Dog (fewer than 3 kilometres!), no thanks to our public bus system. Yet again—a regular occurrence—a driver refused to stop despite my hailing him, presumably because of my dog. As a result, I am quite distressed and out of pocket as I ended up ordering a taxi (for which I had to wait a very long time as it's such a short/low fare). Of course, since the NDIS says I don't need a travel allowance because I have a Guide Dog, and your government doesn't seem inclined to understand the impact of this, I see absolutely no future.

I'm meant to be attending a training course in the city tonight, which will involve four buses and walks at both ends of each journey. My confidence has gone and I don't feel safe. This is the impact of short term monetary savings at the expense of otherwise useful members of the community.

I'd suggest you walk a day in our shoes but even that wouldn't make a difference as it is the daily grind that wears us down….The constant anxiety and knowledge that, more than likely, every time we approach public transport there will be an incident.

And you could always take off the blindfold. We can't. I am fortunate. I still have two per cent sight—and have had a huge life. I'm not ready to give it up. But I feel you (State Government) and the Federal Government are forcing me into dependence and isolation.

It is shameful, considering that consumers will now have to wear increases in bus fares and cuts to bus routes to make a $46 million saving, yet they want more people to use public transport. Part of the plan is journey-hopping from one mode to another. This would impact on those with a disability, mobility issues, young mums with babies in tow, the unemployed and seniors.

The transport minister is shutting down three Service SA centres despite thousands of objections. He has announced extending clearway times on several main roads, including Unley Road, where there was no consultation with councils involved and hundreds of small businesses will suffer as a result. He brushed off their concerns and a petition signed by them in a short, terse meeting recently but agreed to delay their pain by about a month until they could prove their case.

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure could not find the $120,000 to keep manned taxi ranks in the city, a safety initiative instigated by the taxi industry that has been working quite successfully. This government claims to be there for business; however, its policies, like trying to deregulate shopping hours, only serves to harm them.

Our primary road infrastructure is a shamble. While they have announced big-ticket projects with federal help, there are suburban, Hills and regional roads falling to bits while our road toll mounts. The transport minister had to dish out some additional morsels of appeasement in doing a bizarre backflip on his double dogleg solution to fix the traffic mess at Daws, Goodwood and Springbank roads.

The community trusts and relies on our police to keep us safe and secure, but SAPOL needs to make up $38 million in efficiency dividends over the forward estimates. That means a massive hike in traffic fines and other infringements, which welfare agencies say will hit low income families.

They are also looking at introducing a user-pays system to have police attend these circuses. The police commissioner says it would only be at major events for commercial gain—and isn't that most of them? However, he says he will make that call. But as we have learned from lessons in history, once the genie is out of the bottle, it is hard to get him back. Eventually it would spread to other events. This will undoubtedly lead to an increase in the cost of staging those circuses, which will then have to be borne, of course, by the plebeians.

Taxpayers already pay police to do their work in protecting the community. Should events that attract big crowds be treated any differently to any other activity that would require a police presence, particularly in these days when we must live with the threat of terrorism? Many will say this is double dipping. Meanwhile, Crime Stoppers, an extremely successful program in which the public report crime, had to resort to a GoFundMe campaign to make up a shortfall. Tough on crime? Not this government.

There are long delays in our court system, which also must find savings by shutting courthouses. Timely access to justice is being compromised. The government could not find paltry funding for JusticeNet, a vital service that provides pro bono legal services for those who cannot afford lawyers.

We are seeing problems in the housing and construction sector with building companies closing. Where are the incentives to keep this crucial contributor to our economy kicking on? Miserly cuts have inflicted pain on worthy community organisations, groups and events—the popular Motorsport Festival, the Fashion Festival, Brand SA, and the community visitor program, where an independent community visitor can no longer enter privately-run disability homes. That affects 1,500 people with disabilities in 430 homes.

Thoroughbred Racing has lost a $3 million government sponsorship of its Adelaide Festival of Racing, but that has been offset with a $24 million injection of dough in the hope of keeping the bleeding industry calm. Reclink SA, a not-for-profit organisation, has been told it will not receive the government's $50,000 annual grant from the end of this month. Disability Recreation and Sports SA lost its $37,450 grant.

The promise to lower our power bills is evaporating. While homelessness in the city is at record levels, mental health services have been cut. Vital sexual counselling service SHINE SA had to close two of its clinics because of budget cuts. Hospital car parking fees will rise—another broken election promise. Ambulance fees are going up. The Treasurer is going to court to stop a $600,000 a year or $31 pay rise that was set in stone for our nurses and government workers, because it cannot afford it.

In New Zealand, the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, leads by example. She froze a pay rise for MPs because the country could not afford it. In this chamber last year, only the Greens and SA-Best opposed an increase in MPs' salaries. Yet, cash can always be found for extravaganzas to tickle the masses. That footy colosseum, the Adelaide Oval, will get its swanky hotel courtesy of a $41 million government guaranteed low-interest loan. Memorial Drive gets a new roof and a new tennis tournament, and there is money for Coopers Stadium.

Hollywood has been enticed to make a blockbuster movie here. There is $20 million for footy, cricket and netball grassroots, and $20 million for the Granite Island causeway. The South Australian Tourism Commission get tens of millions of dollars to sell our state. Events like Tasting Australia, the Tour Down Under and Superloop 500 always find generous support, and we will even see a State of Origin game here next year—but at what cost?

Who knows what other crumbs are coming our way. The symbolic political legacy of the Romans should not be lost upon us. Their leaders figured the poor would be less likely to whinge or revolt if they had food and entertainment. This probably explains why government budgets are laced with bread and circuses to mask the real pain. In saying that, I support the Supply Bill.

The PRESIDENT: Before I give the Hon. Mr Stephens the call, I remind honourable members that this is a supply bill and not a budget bill. Therefore, references to the budget should be avoided, although members can, if they use their creativity, make a necessary point.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (17:26): I rise to speak to the Supply Bill 2019. The government is entrusted to handle funds it receives from its taxpayers with the utmost care. All funds spent by the government should serve a valuable purpose and provide a net benefit for the constituency. A concept I have explained before in this chamber whilst in opposition is that revenue is often used as a term in government as if the money belongs to the government. This is a falsehood.

Tax dollars are deducted from the incomes of hardworking citizens in exchange for services. It should stand then that these services are necessary, and there is no other way to return tax dollars to their rightful owners other than to limit government spending. Whilst any minister would be reluctant to reduce services, sometimes these things are necessary in order to govern responsibly, and that is what we seek to do on this side of the chamber.

It follows that, after more than a decade of the former Labor government's spending, the state Liberal government has had some important budgetary decisions to make. When making these decisions, the Marshall government will carefully ensure that revenue is being appropriated in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. A structural improvement to the budget, through a sustained reduction in government spending, is the only way to truly achieve surplus or, at the very least, a balanced budget.

As I have said repeatedly in this place, once government spending is under control, taxes can be abolished or reduced to a minimum in order to see quality services well funded. In the face of such decisions, the government has remained committed to investment in essential services such as health, education and infrastructure and a return of taxpayers' dollars through the provision of essential services that benefit the community and state as a whole.

The coming years will see the biggest investment into education by any state government in South Australia's history, with over $1 billion worth of capital works across the state, including three new schools and additional investment in education spending. The state Liberal government has announced investment of more than $185 million into capital projects to meet the capacity needs of government schools and to facilitate the transition of year 7 into high school.

A range of government schools across metropolitan and regional South Australia will also receive major upgrades to their infrastructure. It is particularly important that these regional schools, such as Port Augusta Secondary School, Nuriootpa High School, Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School, Mount Compass Area School, Kapunda High School and more, are set to receive funding.

In addition, a new $100 million state-of-the-art secondary school will be built in Whyalla to accommodate the 1,500 students in years 7 to 12. Whyalla's three existing high school campuses, which are Edward John Eyre High, Whyalla High and Stuart High, will be amalgamated into the new school. Like our investment in education, another way the Marshall government is seeking to improve South Australia is through a continued investment in infrastructure to bust congestion. Congestion affects roads throughout the state, and as a government we have sought to improve traffic movement for South Australians. Over $200 million has already been announced and committed to intersection upgrades on Cross Road, Goolwa Road and Portrush Road.

This state budget will further build on this strong commitment by continuing a massive infrastructure investment that aims to keep the traffic flowing. The Marshall government will deliver $51 million in the 2019-20 state budget to combat the congestion on Main North and Grand Junction roads. This investment allows for three intersection upgrades: the intersection of Main North Road and Nottage Terrace, the intersection of Main North, Kings and McIntyre roads; and the intersection of Grand Junction, Hampstead and Briens roads.

Improving congestion on key roads will reduce travel times for a great number of South Australians and improve overall road safety in those areas. These road and traffic improvements will be a positive outcome for South Australia.

The Marshall government took to the election the promise to slash ESL bills for South Australians. As a government we have continued to deliver on our commitment to slash ESL bills in this budget. In stark contrast to the massive hikes endured under Labor, we are delivering the promised $360 million in ESL savings over the forward estimates.

Such savings will put back 90 million a year into the pockets of families. The average household is set to save more than 50 per cent, or $163, in 2019-20 compared to the policy under the Labor government. These families work hard, contribute to our wonderful state, and will deservedly realise the savings we committed to deliver to them.

Governments of the day are tasked with the responsibility of using taxpayer funds in a wise and appropriate manner. The state Liberal government is, in my view, committed to sensible spending across all departments, while still being able to provide valuable services for all South Australians. I commend the bill.

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (17:31): I too rise to speak about the Supply Bill, or rather the paucity of Liberal policy and the absence of direction. Whilst I will support the bill because it is imperative that services in this state continue to function—that is in the interest of South Australians and our state—this bill is a stark reminder that the interests of South Australians are simply not being served well by either the current state or federal governments.

On the one hand, South Australians are being slugged by the federal Liberal government to the tune of almost half a billion dollars in lost GST revenue and, in response, South Australians are being slugged again by the state Liberal government, whose only response to their federal colleagues is to present South Australians with a long list of increased costs for many essential items. I am referring to the increases in transport costs, the cost to renew your licence, the cost to register your car, to park at a hospital, to employ a tradesperson, contained in financial documents.

These additional fees and charges will affect South Australians where it will hurt most, in the areas of health, housing, transport and employment—essentials that most of us cannot do without. While these increases will hurt all South Australians, they will especially hurt those who can afford them the least. As SACOSS stated in a 2018-19 budget snapshot:

While cost of living pressures affect all households, they impact more significantly on lower income households both because these households tend to spend proportionately more of their income on the necessities…and because they usually do not have the reserves or flexibility in their budgets to absorb rising costs.

South Australia has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the nation and continues to experience stubbornly high long-term unemployment and underemployment levels. This, coupled with stagnant or falling wages and increasingly precarious employment conditions, means that the increases in fees and charges that are being promulgated will have a significant impact on all South Australians but severely impact on those who are doing it tough.

When the Liberal government came to office they promised to lower the cost of living for South Australians. They have not only broken that promise, they have failed to come up with policies that could help South Australians achieve greater job security and financial stability. In fact, the Liberal government spent its first year in government trying to dismantle policies that the previous government implemented, such as Labor's labour hire laws, designed to protect workers from exploitation by unscrupulous labour hire operators. Thankfully, with the help of the crossbench, Labor was able to stop the government reversing this law. But it fundamentally illustrates this government's disregard for South Australians facing precarious employment and economic conditions.

For example, from 1 July, the state Liberal government will increase a number of fees well above CPI that will directly impact on tradespeople. This includes an increase in contract licence fees and registration fees by a massive 10 per cent. Registration fees for a light commercial vehicle have increased by 5.1 per cent per year, while registering a trailer will increase by 5.3 per cent. Let me remind you that our consumer price index currently stands at 1.3 per cent.

As one electrician, Michael Allison of Willunga Electrical, has been quoted as saying in The Advertiser on 30 May, 'You can accept a CPI increase, but when it's more than that, it's a bit of a kick in the guts.' These increased costs will make it harder for tradespeople to take on apprentices at a time when we most need these jobs for our young people. It will further damage our state's already declining building industry as a result of building approvals falling and construction companies collapsing. The state Liberal government is making it harder for small businesses in the sector to survive and employ more people.

We see a similar situation in the hotel industry, an industry that employs over 26,000 South Australians. Liquor licensing fees are set to increase by about 600 per cent for some Adelaide late-night entertainment venues. This means that small bars and pubs will either have to increase their prices or employ fewer staff. Either way, it is bad for South Australians, especially those people who rely on the hospitality industry to earn a living.

Our hardworking paramedics also face dire working conditions as a result of government inaction. Representatives of the Ambulance Employees Association have confirmed that there is a growing reliance on paramedics working overtime and on call just to cover the demand. This has resulted in $15.5 million in overtime that paramedics have forgone. This has been occurring in the pre-flu season. It is only going to get worse.

When it came to office, the state Liberal government promised to continue a strategic working group to develop a new staffing formula and a new service delivery model for paramedics. But since the loss of GST revenue imposed by the federal Liberal government, the Ambulance Employees Association has been informed that this is unlikely to go ahead and that they should consider negotiating away workers' conditions, such as giving up meal breaks. How is this fair? How does this translate to better services for our state?

We see a similar scenario in our state's vital tourism industry whose budget has been cut by $100 million, at a time when our state's international visitor numbers have decreased and gone backwards, jeopardising jobs and economic growth. The state Liberal government has made these decisions and others like them at a time when the casualisation of our workforce is hitting record levels. Casual workers now make up over a quarter of our workforce and workers in Australia are facing the slowest wage growth in 20 years.

This is a real concern for our economy. It is a situation that is having a real and very negative impact on our state, but especially on young South Australians. We need to be working on policies that will give South Australians and young people hope, to help them achieve their dreams and aspirations, and create a society and an economy that is strong and confident for the future. These policies, if we can call them that, do nothing of the sort. On 27 March, the ABC quoted the Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman:

A country's ability to improve its standard of living over time depends almost entirely on its ability to raise its output per worker. But if low wages growth becomes entrenched, it will also pose a threat to productivity and risks locking Australia into a low-wage, low-productivity spiral.

This is a problem that needs to be addressed with real policy solutions, not more pain. Despite this, the state Liberal government has pushed ahead with a raft of increases in fees and charges that will make vulnerable people even more vulnerable.

For example, the Liberal government wants to scrap two-section fares on our buses. This means that a worker who relies on public transport to get to work may have to pay an extra $150 a year to get there. This comes on top of the Premier's $46 million from public transport, resulting in many bus services being scrapped.

It will be interesting to see whether the Liberal government intends to pursue their possible goal of privatising our trains and trams. South Australians rely on public transport, and these are additional costs that will hurt them. Public transport provides a service to one's community as well as providing employment for South Australians. If you drive a car, you will also be slugged, with licence renewal fees increasing by 4½ per cent and car registration increasing by 5 per cent. These, like other increases referred to above, are way above CPI rates.

Associate Professor Michael O'Neil from the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies warned in an interview on ABC radio on 24 April that the rise in cost of living was already hurting South Australians and, I quote:

The lack of growth in employment, underemployment and no real increase in wages is already having an effect, so that while all these fees and charges normally rise each year by CPI, individual wages have not kept pace with the CPI.

It stands to reason, then, that fees and charges being raised so far above CPI will have a compounding, negative effect. However, the increases in fees and reduced services do not stop there. Nurses, cleaners and other hospital staff face paying $276 more per year for parking at public hospitals, while patients and their families face hikes of up to 25 per cent. How is this fair? Workers are already losing their penalty rates, and in the case of cleaners who work sporadic hours throughout off-peak periods they often would not be able to take public transport even if they wanted to. This hike will significantly impact on their ability to make ends meet.

Key mental health services are seeing a reduction of 25 per cent of their funding. That is a $6.8 million cut for vulnerable South Australians, which will only place more pressure on our hospitals this winter and beyond. And what has the government done? When presented with the opportunity to have an open discussion on how to rectify the matter, they hide behind party parochialism. The state Liberal government is refusing to adequately fund mental health services when we know that mental health is a key factor in increasing a person's—especially a young person—vulnerability towards poverty and homelessness.

Adelaide's latest Connections Week found that 227 people are currently sleeping rough in the inner city. That is a 62 per cent increase compared with the same time last year. Additionally, research conducted by the Don Dunstan Foundation found that, out of the people facing homelessness in South Australia, 72 per cent have mental health issues. Disadvantage has many causes, and we must attempt to provide support where we can, not block opportunity for people to access help by making it more expensive and more difficult.

We live in a country that is ranked as the second wealthiest country in the world in terms of median wealth per adult, but our poverty rate has become entrenched at a high level. We are currently fourteenth highest out of 36 OECD countries. We have had uninterrupted economic growth in Australia for 26 years and yet we have record levels of homelessness. UnitingSA has found that over the past year there has been a marked increase in young people accessing their service and an increase in the number of people working in low-paid or seasonal work, including people employed casually and not receiving sufficient hours.

The Centre for Social Impact's Financial Resilience in Australia 2018 report has found that one in six Australians are finding it tough to meet the necessary costs of living. We must address these problems constructively, not shy away from them. We need to listen to and work more closely with organisations such as the Don Dunstan Foundation and UnitingSA, just two organisations which are doing good, practical work to address the complex but very real challenges we face.

We owe it to South Australians, and we especially owe it to our young people. Our young people are having to work more for less. Young people already see their future as bleak, with the rising costs of education and training, housing becoming less and less affordable and the cost of living rising so disproportionately compared to the earnings. I want to stand up for these young people and their future. I want to protect our hard-won efforts to secure better employment and working conditions for them and all South Australians.

I can start by calling out the state Liberal government not only for unfairly raising fees and charges instead of fighting for a better deal for South Australians but also for failing to show compassion and understanding for those in our society who are struggling and for failing to work collaboratively to devise policies that actually address the problems. This is not in the best interests of South Australians. Frankly, South Australia deserves better.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (17:45): I rise to speak to—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: I have given him the call.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, it is late in the day. We all want to hear the Hon. Mr Wortley's wisdom.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: He has just interrupted my flow.

The PRESIDENT: Get on with the flow.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: I rise to speak today on the Supply Bill 2019. In doing so, I note that, while the opposition does not oppose this bill, we will take this time to review the government's performance of the past year. There was a clear mantra that was espoused by the Marshall government in the lead-up to the state election and immediately afterwards. It was one of lower costs and better services. This mantra has become the vernacular of the Liberal Party. Humility is certainly not a feature of this government: they triumphantly attest to their own success and congratulate themselves on the way they have conducted themselves thus far. I suspect that not everyone in the community feels the same way.

Let's examine the government's mantra on lower costs. In the past few weeks, the Treasurer has drip-fed information into the public arena that South Australians should prepare for an increase in fees and charges far beyond the rate of inflation. Car registration will rise by 5 per cent, driver's licence renewals by 4 per cent, hospital car parking by a staggering 20 per cent, public transport by 2 per cent, individual contractor licences by up to 10 per cent and registration fees for tradies by 10 per cent.

We know that wages in this country are not rising. Indeed, many people in our community are struggling. They have had their penalty rates slashed, yet we see a government increasing costs: increasing the cost of working, increasing the cost of travelling to and from work and increasing costs for working families. This is simply unfair. If you head into an election campaign promising lower costs then deliver lower costs. The decisions of this government are galling not only because it is public policy but because they have not demonstrated any actual willingness to reduce costs, even though they said they would.

I turn to the second part of the Marshall government's ethos of 'better services'. Steven Marshall and his team promised South Australians better services. I could stand here for hours examining every portfolio at length and, in doing so, highlighting cases where the government has failed to deliver better services. However, many of my colleagues have already outlined that, in particular the Hon. Mr Frank Pangallo, who, despite opposing wage increases last year, outrageously accepted a 2 per cent increase in July last year. However, he did articulate well the case about this government.

Have better services been delivered in the health portfolio? The answer is a resounding no. What has happened, though, is the engagement of corporate liquidators to run the Central Adelaide Local Health Network. Corporate liquidators are not exactly the first resort if you want to deliver better services, yet it is the liquidators who are now in control of a critical facet of our healthcare system, having released their plan to cut $460 million from the sector. How can this government possibly expect to create better outcomes for patients while at the same time cutting enormous chunks of funding from our healthcare system?

The engagement of KordaMentha only tells part of this sorry story. The Marshall state government has also broken trust with the people of South Australia by:

forcing Keith hospital into crowd funding so that it continues to provide health care for the region;

cutting funding of nearly 10 per cent to SHINE SA, forcing the closure of the Davoren Park and Noarlunga centres;

forcing The QEH cardiology unit into a position of having to make public appeals for donations;

cutting funding for the position of the Mental Health Commissioner and cutting funding for mental health by 25 per cent; and

closing 25 beds at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre, 16 beds at Flinders Medical Centre and 20 at the Women's and Children's Hospital.

I note that the Women's and Children's Hospital now has an emergency department operating at 165 per cent capacity.

Within the context of the cuts and the bed closures that I have just spoken about, I make mention of the flu. Flu cases are already at disastrous levels—they have been since April. The experts tell us that this year's flu season is panning out to be 10 times worse than last year. A flu season that is 10 times worse than its immediate predecessor obviously represents massive challenges.

The government did talk about rolling out a program to bring forward flu vaccinations, and then promptly failed to deliver. We have heard story after story of vulnerable people, including the elderly, the immune-compromised and pregnant women, not being able to access a flu shot. For some time, 116,000 flu vaccines sat in a warehouse while doctors and nurses treated infected patients, having not yet been inoculated themselves. Throughout this entire debacle the health minister's response has been to send out his bureaucrats to face media inquiries and shrug off suggestions that he, as an elected official, ought to play any role in putting together an action plan.

Also on the question of better services is the state of our public transport system. We all know how important public transport is for South Australians, yet in their very first budget the Marshall Liberal government slashed $46 million from public transport. The state government has attempted to peddle a tale that patronage is dropping. We know the opposite to be true, with more people than ever before relying on public transport. I note that in the past financial year 14.4 million trips have occurred, compared with 11.1 million in 2004-05. The department's very own annual reports indicate a substantial and sustained growth in patronage on our buses, trains and trams.

The $46 million in cuts leave many people without the vital transportation they need, impacting on the most vulnerable, such as the elderly and the disabled. Many South Australians will have to bear the brunt of the cuts, with over 1,170 services affected. I note that the state government has also cut the Footy Express and free public transport services for the Christmas Pageant.

At a time when the government is reducing the services available, they are increasing the cost of public transport fares. Many commuters will face a massive increase of up to $849 per year with the scrapping of the two-section ticket. The state government has also announced plans to increase fares across the board by up to 2 per cent, well above the inflation rate.

If you really want to reduce the patronage of the public transport industry, you do exactly what the Liberal government is doing. We have come to learn that the Marshall Liberal government's intention may very well be to privatise our train and tram network. I come back to this central point of the Liberal Party's mantra: when exactly did the Liberal Party mention, in amongst promising lower costs and better services, that they were contemplating the sell-off of our well-patronised and much relied upon train and tram system?

Steven Marshall told South Australians the opposite. He said that he and his team did not have any privatisation agenda. We already know, of course, that this promise has been abandoned, with the privatisation of Pathology SA and parts of the prison system. Nevertheless, this is a government that has broken promises they made with their constituents when they were voted into office.

The Liberal Party was elected on the back of the promises of lower costs and better services. People in seats such as King, Elder, Colton and Newland voted for their local Liberal candidate, and I really do wonder now how these new MPs look their constituents in the eye, and how they can possibly say that they are a part of a government that is delivering lower costs and better services.

How do these new MPs justify the cuts, closures and privatisations? What do these new MPs say when a vulnerable member of their community reaches out to them and talks to them about how they have been negatively impacted by the Marshall Liberal government's agenda? Broken promises, failed promises, increased costs, poor and inadequate services: this is what underpins the story so far of the Marshall Liberal government. It is these failures that the members for King, Elder, Colton and Newland will be duly judged upon.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:55): Today I rise to make my contribution in support of the Supply Bill 2019. The government is asking for approximately $5.5 billion of taxpayer money to enable the continued payment of public servants and public services. It is very important that provisions are made for the ongoing delivery of essential public services in South Australia.

Since taking office in March 2018, the Marshall state government has taken a proactive approach towards transforming the economy of South Australia with a strong vision to deliver more business confidence, create a more competitive climate for industries and to increase our population. The state government has been working hard to deliver more jobs, lower costs and better services for South Australia. I am proud to be a part of the Marshall team who are honouring the many commitments that deliver better outcomes for all South Australians. Helping households and businesses reduce the cost-of-living pressures has always been a top priority for the Marshall government.

I am pleased to report that our government is delivering on its commitment to slash emergency services levy bills for South Australians. We are doing this by putting $90 million a year back into the pockets of families, with an average household set to save more than 50 per cent or $163 compared with the policy under the former Labor government. I congratulate and thank our very diligent Treasurer, my esteemed colleague the Hon. Rob Lucas, for delivering the promise to slash ESL bills for South Australian households and families, and that is exactly what we are delivering.

One of the most positive pieces of feedback I have heard over and over again when I am out and about visiting multicultural and not-for-profit community groups is how happy they are about the Marshall government abolishing fees for all volunteer checks. Making volunteer screening checks free for all South Australians late last year has saved the community sector more than $1.3 million. That is more than $1.3 million worth of savings that have been injected back into the sector to help organisations deliver vital services for the community. What a wonderful job the Minister for Human Services, the Hon. Michelle Lensink, is doing for our community.

Since 1 November 2018, a total of 23,379 South Australians have applied for more than 30,000 free volunteer screening checks, which are conducted by the Department of Human Services Screening Unit, saving the sector hundreds of thousands of dollars. Under the previous Labor government, volunteer screening checks were $59.40 each.

Working directly with multicultural and community organisations in South Australia, I am proud to be part of the Liberal government that highly values the incredible dedication and hard work of volunteers and their selfless contributions to serve our community. It is very encouraging that more and more South Australians are taking up volunteering since we made volunteer screening checks free in November. The figures speak for themselves: it is now easier for people in South Australia to volunteer, as the cost of screening does not act as a barrier.

South Australia's economy is transforming into a more efficient and competitive economy than ever before, under the strong leadership of the Marshall government. I want to congratulate the Premier, the Treasurer, ministers and their departments on delivering outcomes for our state. Growing the economy and jobs remains the government's top priority.

It is encouraging to see investors returning to South Australia with enormous confidence. The latest ABS figures show a 37 per cent rise in private new capital expenditure in the past year under the reformist Marshall Liberal government. The 37 per cent jump in real private new capital expenditure in the March 2019 quarter, compared with the March 2018 quarter, is largely off the back of buildings and structures, defying a national fall of 1.9 per cent.

The results follow another positive ANZ Stateometer report which showed that South Australia was the only state to record an above-trend growth rate in the quarter and rising momentum from the last quarter of last year. In fact, the report showed that South Australia was one of only three states to record a rise in capital expenditure in the March quarter, showing that we are punching well above our weight and that investors once again feel confident in coming and spending their money here. The impressive 37 per cent rise in private new capital expenditure in South Australia will no doubt have significant flow-on benefits.

The confidence in South Australia's economy and community has been at an all-time high where large investments are flowing through our state. The South Australian community is excited about the announcement that Adelaide is now the home of Australia's new Space Agency. South Australia beat strong competition from other states to secure the headquarters. We were incredibly lucky to have our homegrown NASA astronaut Dr Andy Thomas help with our campaign. The Space Agency will be based at Lot Fourteen, which is being transformed into an innovation precinct and a key hub for the space and technology industry.

The miracle man, as he has been referred to after the stunning election victory on 18 May, our Prime Minister, the Hon. Scott Morrison, said that South Australia was an ideal home for the new Space Agency. This will open doors for local businesses and Australian access to $US345 billion of global space industry. The Premier, the Hon. Steven Marshall, is a champion for the Space Agency. He said that it would help enhance the city's livability and will take the state's defence sectors to the next level.

I would like to turn my attention now to the good work of the Hon. David Ridgway, the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. For the first time since 2011, South Australia's international student enrolments have exceeded the national growth rate, with the state attracting nearly 30,400 enrolments in the first three months of 2019. International students are valued members of our community and contribute enormously to our economy and add to multicultural vibrancy, which we supported and successfully developed to enrich our state.

In the 2017-18 financial year, international students generated $1.62 billion for the South Australian economy, positioning international education as one of the state's top export earners. Through the good work of the Hon. David Ridgway, the minister has committed to further growing the international education sector by investing more than ever before into StudyAdelaide to promote the international student market and Adelaide being an education destination.

I would like to also turn attention now to caring about our community. Caring for and providing services to vulnerable communities remains a priority for our Liberal government. People of South Australia are grateful that the Liberal government has taken another important step towards ending domestic, family and sexual violence in South Australia. They welcome the new policy announced by the Hon. Michelle Lensink, the Minister for Human Services.

The new framework, entitled 'Committed to safety: a framework for assessing domestic, family and sexual violence', includes a strong focus of providing targeted support to specific population groups, such as young people, Aboriginal women and communities, women with disabilities, culturally and linguistically diverse women, older women and people living in regional and remote communities. The Liberal government continues to deliver its commitment to address domestic violence across the state, including investing more than $11.9 million on a suite of measures to support women and children at risk in South Australia.

More investment in education, health, road infrastructure and upgrades has already been mentioned by my esteemed colleague the Hon. Terry Stephens in his contribution. We are definitely a government that will continue to work hard for a better South Australia. With those remarks, I support the passage of the Supply Bill.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.E. Hanson.

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