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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-07 Daily Xml
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Motions

Service SA

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (15:56): I move:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges the vital services provided to the community by local Service SA centres;

2. Notes that local Service SA centres provide access to a range of transactions, many of which are not able to be undertaken online or over the phone but must be completed in person;

3. Condemns the announcement that the government will close the Modbury, Mitcham and Prospect Service SA centres;

4. Acknowledges the negative effect these closures will have on local residents who will face longer commutes, longer waiting times and lower levels of service as a result;

5. Acknowledges the impact that these closures will have on other Service SA centres, which will see wait times soar as they are inundated with additional clients;

6. Acknowledges over 7,000 South Australians who have so far signed petitions to keep the centres open; and

7. Calls on the government to listen to the community and reverse this heartless decision.

The phones are running hot on level 2 and that is because thousands of people are disappointed in the Liberal government. It is time that the Liberal government listened to the near 8,000, and counting, South Australians who have signed the petition to keep the Modbury, Mitcham and Prospect Service SA doors open.

Unlike the Treasurer and the transport minister, I have stood outside Service SA centres, spoken to customers and seen the lines with my very own eyes. Members of the community have shared what it will mean for them when their local Service SA centre closes, members from the community like Rachel. Rachel works at the Northpark Shopping Centre and is concerned that it will impact sales. Rachel mentioned that lines are often out the door of the Prospect Service SA centre and that people go shopping after they have been to that centre. She asked, 'Will those customers remain at the centre and will that profit stay at the centre?'

Mary uses the Service SA centre at Mitcham for her licence renewal and registration. She feels that it is easier to access services in person face to face. Anthony has used the Mitcham Service SA centre since 2001. Anthony mentioned that there are still services that can only be done at a Service SA centre. Anthony does not want to go to Marion or to the city to use the services. Susan had to use the Service SA centre at Prospect to get a replacement driver's licence when her bag was stolen. She went on to say, 'It is a good service and it is close and convenient in case of an emergency.' Raimo uses the Service SA centre at Modbury when he cannot access services online. He does not want to have to take a bus and pay for parking at other service centres.

These are just some of the experiences of South Australians who have signed the petition. I have had the pleasure, and so have other Labor members, of talking to people while they were in line at a Service SA centre. A common thread, when talking to the people at the Service SA centres, is that queues are already long enough. One went on to say, 'Should thousands of South Australians be inconvenienced by having to wait longer and travel further to a Service SA centre merely to pay the government?'

Where does the government expect the 105,000 customers who used the Prospect Service SA centre last year, the 104,000 who used the Modbury Service SA and the 83,000 who used the Mitcham Service SA centre to actually go? Surely the government cannot expect the already packed Marion centre, the second busiest in the state, which served 117,000 customers last financial year, to also serve the 83,000 customers who use the Mitcham centre?

A total of 105,000 customers used Prospect last financial year. Will they be heading to Adelaide centres, and will they cope? Prospect customers who come into Adelaide instead may have to try to find car parking and pay for parking, making it near impossible for some of those most vulnerable in our community. Are the 104,000 Modbury Service SA customers going to be absorbed by Elizabeth, the busiest Service SA centre in the state, which served 141,000 customers just last year?

Considering the very limited planning that seems to have gone into this, will the government be able to guarantee that the surrounding Service SA centres will be able to absorb the 280,000 yearly customers who are set to lose their local Service SA centre, or do the Treasurer and the government have another agenda, that is, to push customers online, despite the fact that services such as a learner's permit test and transferring an interstate licence, among others, are only available at Service SA centres, not to mention that not all customers have access to or are able to use the internet?

The government also seems to be ignoring the fact that Service SA centres are an integral part of our local community, so important that the chief executives of the Tea Tree Gully, Prospect and Mitcham councils banded together to write to the Premier, asking that the Modbury, Prospect and Mitcham centres remain open.

Each of the centres to be closed is either in a shopping centre or close to another shopping outlet. Service SA customers may go to local shops at the same time or use services, including the banks that are situated near the Modbury service centre, for example. Removing these Service SA centres could remove this increased economic activity from the Modbury, Prospect and Mitcham communities. The centre provides a place where people can access services from multiple departments face to face. The increasing disconnect between government departments and the community has made this face-to-face provision of services almost a luxury.

With good reason, the Liberal government's decision to close Modbury, Mitcham and Prospect Service SA is not a popular one. Not even all cabinet members agree with the decision. Just take the member for Adelaide, Rachel Sanderson, who wrote to her cabinet colleague, the Hon. Stephan Knoll, the Minister for Transport, requesting a discussion about this matter and a possible solution, including delaying the closure of the Prospect Service SA centre. This is just another of the Liberal government's cuts, closures and privatisations. It is time the Liberal government listened to South Australians and reversed its decision and save Service SA.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. T.J. Stephens.

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