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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-18 Daily Xml
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Economic Stimulus Package

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:59): My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, with the conclusion of the federal JobKeeper program in the next couple of weeks, what is it the government is doing to provide ongoing assistance to save jobs and businesses?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:59): An important issue which has been canvassed by businesses, stakeholders—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The leader is not helping.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —and governments collectively—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway and the leader should not be conversing across the chamber. The Treasurer has the call.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I just asked that both of you stop a conversation across the chamber. Yes, both of you. The Treasurer has the call.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: The commonwealth—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Mr President, the commonwealth government to its credit is continuing a range of programs post the conclusion of the JobKeeper program—

The Hon. J.E. Hanson interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: And that applies to the Hon. Mr Hanson as well.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —which has been enormously successful. They have recently announced, as you know, their travel-related scheme, and I won't go through the detail of that. There is a range of tax investment incentives which the commonwealth Treasurer has indicated will continue for varying periods of time post the end of March in terms of trying to encourage businesses across the nation in terms of further investment and inevitably then job creation as a result of that further business investment.

It is our understanding that the commonwealth government's position, as announced by the federal Treasurer in particular, is that similar to the travel scheme they will continue to look at what initiatives or incentives or assistance might be needed to be provided, particularly for those industry sectors which continue to be badly impacted by the travel restrictions for COVID-19—so clearly the aviation industry, travel and tourism industry—and the flow-on effect of that in some parts of the country in terms of the tourism hospitality industry and all those support services that support those industries such as the aviation industry. Then, separately, the international education industry has been significantly impacted as well.

From the commonwealth government, we congratulate them on that. The ongoing assistance we hope that we will see with the HomeBuilder scheme is where we hope we might see some greater flexibility in terms of the extension to that particular six-month restriction, as I discussed either yesterday or the day before. Again, I think it would be a further example in terms of trying to encourage both job creation and the saving of businesses within that particular sector.

From the state government's viewpoint, the $4 billion stimulus package, as I indicated on Tuesday, is relatively the second biggest or strongest stimulus package of any of the states in Australia. A number of the elements of that are programs which will continue beyond the end of March; for example, the payroll tax incentives that we are providing to all businesses in South Australia. So every small business in the state with a payroll under $4 million pays no payroll tax from last April through to 30 June. For the three months after the conclusion of JobKeeper, every small business in this state will not pay any payroll tax because that will be waived right across the board as an incentive to create jobs and also to preserve businesses.

Importantly, for the first time from January of this year but through to June—so, again, for three months beyond the closure of JobKeeper—any medium or big-sized business with a payroll of greater than $4 million that is a COVID-impacted business won't pay any payroll tax for that period of six months but in particular the three months beyond the closure of the JobKeeper scheme. So the taxpayers of South Australia are doing some of the heavy lifting and continuing to provide incentives for COVID-impacted businesses beyond 31 March and for the next three-month period beyond 31 March.

Again, I won't go through the detail in concluding my answer, but the $16.7 billion infrastructure program is structured for the construction industry broadly, not just residential housing but commercial construction and civil construction as well, to provide massive incentives to businesses and individuals operating within that sector, being funded by a record $16.7 billion infrastructure program.

As I said, in concluding, there are many elements of the government's record $4 billion stimulus package that are providing incentives beyond 31 March. This government doesn't have a short-term focus of just to the end of the JobKeeper program. The stimulus package was designed to extend over this year and into 2022 as well, as a conscious effort to try to save as many jobs as we can and to save as many businesses as we can in South Australia.

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