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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-10-17 Daily Xml
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Goods and Services Tax

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:33): My question is for the Treasurer.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Oh, look out; you've got him on the ropes!

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Very much so. Look at him; he's quivering over there.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Give him a nice bouncer outside leg stump. See how far he can hit that.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Stephens, you are not assisting me either.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: What assurances has the Treasurer sought from his Liberal commonwealth colleagues that, beyond the transition period ending in 2026-27, South Australia will receive at least as much GST under the proposed changes as it does under the current system?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:33): As I indicated yesterday, we will await the detail of the legislative amendments that are going to be moved by the government to their own legislation, which we think will be introduced in an amended form tomorrow but certainly in the next two sitting weeks of the federal parliament.

The assurance we have been given is that no state—and as I said yesterday, it will be subject to us checking the detail of the legislative amendment; in the case of South Australia, we stand up for South Australia—South Australia will be no worse off under the deal that has been proposed.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: Until when?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Until 2026-27. I said—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Is this a new way of asking supplementaries? Leader of the Opposition and Government Whip? You have an opportunity. I am very generous on supplementaries. Casual supplementaries are out of order. Treasurer.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I made it quite clear yesterday in terms of the media release I put out, so I can tell the honourable members, if they are interested, that the proposal that has been advised by the commonwealth government, which is being supported by various state Liberal and Labor treasurers, so I was advised yesterday, is that the guarantee will be written into the legislation until 2026-27 at which time there will be a Productivity Commission review. There is some discussion about some role for the commonwealth—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: There will be some discussion about a potential role for the Commonwealth Grants Commission in relation to what might be done in terms of that particular review. I would imagine that one would hope, in the interests of the people of South Australia if there is still a reforming Marshall Liberal government with a newly-minted state Treasurer at that particular time, one would hope—not one would hope, one would be absolutely certain that that Liberal Treasurer would be arguing passionately as we have done in the interests of South Australia to make sure that South Australia is no worse off under the deal compared to the current—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: You have just admitted that we could be much worse off in a decade. That's extraordinary.

The PRESIDENT: Social commentary is out of order.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: It does not take much to get the Leader of the Opposition excited if he thinks that's extraordinary, Mr President. But, then again, it is up to him what pleases him. I will leave him to his own devices. On the more important issues of federal-state financial relations, as I indicated yesterday, South Australia and the new government will be arguing, and has argued, is arguing, and will continue to argue in the interests of South Australia. We will always put South Australia first irrespective of whether there is a federal Labor government or a federal Liberal government.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Wortley.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Can the Liberal benchers calm down, please? The Hon. Mr Wortley.

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