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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-06-05 Daily Xml
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Bills

Supply Bill 2025

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 3 June 2025.)

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (11:02): I rise today to speak on the Supply Bill before us, emphasising that it is critically important in ensuring the continued operation of government. This convention of supporting the Supply Bill is one that we staunchly uphold in this place. Today, we are asked to support this bill to continue the supply of resources and confidence to deliver the services our state requires from this government. These services are critical for our state.

I do want to take this opportunity to highlight the irony or, better yet, some may say, the hypocrisy of this government which, without batting an eyelid, ask on the one hand for the supply of funds to deliver government services and, on the other, deny the very supply that our communities in rural and regional South Australia require to continue producing the food and fibre our state and nation relies upon.

They would like us to open the gates of supply to government services, yet all this week in this chamber they have refused to open the gate to the supply that our farmers need, whether it be genuine recognition through financial support or fair and timely decisions. They preach resilience at struggling communities and families, acknowledging the toll on mental health, and yet refuse to commit financial support, all the while continuing to overspend across nearly every budget line, excusing it as necessary. The hypocrisy is plain.

This government finds hundreds of millions of dollars to host sporting events and concerts to put South Australia on the map, while ignoring the backbone industries that built the map in the first place: our small businesses and primary producers. Without them, there will be no-one left who can afford to attend these events.

We are seeing record numbers of businesses collapsing across the state. As reported, recent ASIC data shows us that 449 South Australian companies entered external administration in 2024, a significant increase from 224 in 2023 and 153 in 2022. This marks the largest increase in mainland Australia over the past three years. The food and accommodation industries saw the highest insolvencies, with construction also heavily impacted. We have seen the tomato industry of South Australia gutted in one brutal punch, the wine industry on its knees, and financial pressures compressing every household in this state, with the cost of living at levels not seen in generations.

What of energy? The government of South Australia has led the people of this state down what is possibly one of the biggest hoaxes in history; that is, the hydrogen hoax, which commits the future of energy and industry in this state to an energy plan and infrastructure that no longer exists and that never truly existed. It was a plan that was abolished at the first opportunity they found. In their commitment to bind the people of South Australia to the expenses, both owed and future, of the Whyalla Steelworks, by stealth they chose to dump the promise they made to the next generations of South Australians that would create the energy of the future.

The government's decision to scrap hydrogen fits perfectly with its new tagline: all debt and no delivery. Yet here we are again, just as we stood here one year ago, highlighting failures in health, housing, cost of living, regional investment and support for small business—failures that were acknowledged but never addressed. Once again the government arrives, asking for our support to keep the lights on while South Australians ask when their needs will finally be met.

Last year, we called for action on ramping. It has only worsened. We called for housing reform, including meaningful stamp duty relief and accelerated construction timelines, but the government dragged its feet and housing starts are falling. We asked for proper road and infrastructure funding across regional South Australia, but flood-affected communities are still waiting. The Truro freight route and countless bridge and jetty upgrades remain in limbo. We urged support for our fishers, our farmers, our winemakers and our primary producers who are being hit by federal decisions and state inactions alike. Instead, the government responded with silence or excuses. We demanded payroll tax reform, apprentice and trainee exemptions and practical support for small business, and still there is nothing but talk.

Will we support the Supply Bill and uphold the convention? Of course we will, because we respect the institutions of government even when this government does not. But South Australians deserve more than empty rituals. They deserve action. They deserve a government that delivers supply not just to itself but to the people it serves.

Will this government commit to supplying the people of South Australia with the relief they need? Will this government commit to delivering on its promise to fix ramping? Will it commit to delivering on housing, on health, on regional roads and on real economic resilience? This budget must be more than theatre. It must deliver, or this government will be remembered not for what it supplied but for what it withheld.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (11:08): I briefly rise to speak on this Supply Bill and, of course, indicate our support for it to ensure that the government services continue to flow in this state. In preparing to make my brief contribution today, I decided to go back and have a little bit of a look at what I said last year. It surprised me that I could transpose that exact bit of Hansard from then to now because, quite simply, nothing has changed, most especially in the regions. I am just going to touch on a couple of things there.

Public transport in the regions is something that I have spoken about at length in this place in calling on the government to uphold their election commitment to ensure that we have a public transport review in a regional context, which is something that was promised before 2022. It is something that should have happened in July last year but then got kicked down the road to December last year and which now has only just begun. I am sure there will not be any money to increase our public transport offering in the regions, simply because we have had a review that was promised and that was kicked down the road and is only happening now, to conveniently be able to rely on saying, 'Well, we are doing the review so we are not going to put any money into the budget just yet. We will wait to see what that review has to say.'

That review should have been done. It should have been completed by now, because when the regions, such as Mount Gambier, a city of some 30,000 people, have a public transport system which is not even capable of moving 3,000 people around it is pretty damning on this government which has been in power for 20 of the last 24 years.

The Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass is something that many on this side have been calling for and championing. We have put our commitment to the public of $210 million, along with the federal Coalition wanting to invest $840 million at the federal election just gone. We have seen a commitment from the Albanese government of half a billion dollars, but we have not seen or heard anything from this government on what is a vital piece of infrastructure for South Australia, to ensure that we can get heavy trucks off Port and Cross roads for safety, for productivity and for efficiency, so that our great road transport industry can continue to do the work that it needs to do in this state, being able to bypass the South Eastern Freeway and, indeed, our suburban streets in Adelaide. Adelaide is the only capital city that still has a freight route going all the way through it. Will we see money in this budget for the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass? I am unsure.

On Monday, I had a Zoom call with the fantastic community reference group for radiotherapy, a group of volunteers who have been calling out for radiotherapy services in the Limestone Coast for a number of years, people who drove around the Limestone Coast collecting signatures to tell this government, 'This is what we want.' Some 16,000 people are asking for radiotherapy in the regions. Both federal governments, Liberal and Labor, committed $4.2 million to do this work, and yet now we have seen that $4.2 million repurposed into other areas, into Mount Gambier hospital.

An insignificant amount of money from the state government could have been given to this project to see it happen: $1 million a year is really all we would have needed and for the health minister to request from his federal counterparts that the Limestone Coast and Mount Gambier be considered an area of need, to then unlock more money for those providers who provide radiotherapy to be able to upgrade their machinery, their LINAC machines, every eight years. We did not see that request going from the minister. We have seen this government rely on a feasibility study that says, for some reason, that radiotherapy is not feasible in an area that services some 70,000 to 80,000 people, yet in Griffith, in Mildura and in Warrnambool it does stack up, with very similar populations and in fact fewer people to actually utilise that radiotherapy.

My heart breaks for the people who have to do a 10-hour round trip to Adelaide for six weeks, doing 15-minute radiotherapy treatments and being away from their family, or having to drive to Warrnambool to do it. It is so disappointing when we see hundreds of millions of dollars spent on advertising by this government, yet $1 million a year is all it would take to have radiotherapy in the regions. It is something that we will continue to fight for. It is something that the Liberal opposition is committed to, should we form government in 2026.

I also note that the Mount Gambier saleyards, which has been wanting some investment from the federal government to ensure that that generational project can happen, has again been refused federally. I have to question what this state government is doing to champion that project. Obviously not enough, because we saw no money being directed to the saleyards, three times in a row now. Saleyards are not just places where farmers can go to sell their stock and make a bit of cash. They are places where farmers get together, have a chat and talk about what is going on. They are places that help our regional people's wellbeing and their mental health. If we do lose our saleyards, especially ones like Mount Gambier, it will be a terrible, terrible thing.

That leads me to the drought. I really want to thank and put on the record the tremendous work that my colleague the Hon. Nicola Centofanti has done in this space. She is the one who is listening to the farmers on the ground, who are saying they are not seeing the support they desperately need making it to them. Yet somehow I read in the paper today that the Treasurer is almost blaming the fact that they have had to put money into the drought for why we have seen a decrease in surplus and there will not be so much more money flushing around.

If we do not have farmers we do not have food, and I can tell you what: if that happens, we are all stuffed. We need our farmers. We need to make sure that these people are getting the support they need on the ground urgently and not just piecemeal money that is good for a photo opportunity for the PM and the Premier, who then just jet off somewhere else.

It is heartbreaking to have to be in a community where farmers and regional people are at the end of their tether and see no other option but just to give up. It is personal. It is not fair. It is heartbreaking and we have to see more from this government for our regions, for our farmers across health, across public transport, across education, because we cannot be second-class citizens because of our postcode. It pains me that this speech is just like last year's and, hell, it will probably be very similar next year as well.

We want to see more investment in the regions. We want to see the regions being taken care of. We want to see an end to a $2 billion road backlog. We want to see the regions being put front and centre by this government. I can tell you what: with people like my colleague Nicola Centofanti and her team behind her, all of us will be championing the regions and will be fighting as hard as we possibly can to make sure we get what we deserve.

The PRESIDENT: Before I call the Hon. Dennis Hood, can I just remind members that this is about supply and supply in the Public Service. It is not a budget speech, so make sure your speeches are tied back to supply.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (11:17): I rise to speak on this bill, which of course the opposition will support given its passage is fundamental to enabling the functions of government to continue in the period between the Appropriation Bill being introduced and then passed at the start of the next financial year.

I take this opportunity to briefly reflect upon the significant cost-of-living challenges and the impact that the Supply Bill can and may have on that and indeed its impact on the Appropriation Bill as well. It is important to note, of course, that South Australians have been facing very significant cost-of-living pressures in recent times. I will also look to address some of the budget measures that the opposition firmly believe should be adopted by the current government to provide much-needed financial relief to the residents of our state with respect to opportunities that exist with this bill and the upcoming budget bill.

Housing affordability is arguably of utmost concern to the majority of South Australians, with our state unfortunately lagging behind on five key indicators that are compounding the housing crisis in South Australia. According to Demographia, Adelaide is the sixth least affordable city to buy a home in the world and the second least affordable in Australia. The ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability Report reveals that Adelaide is the least affordable of any of Australia's capital cities in which to rent a home as well, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found that South Australia is the poorest state in the country on a household income basis per person. These are significant weights around the necks of South Australians.

BuildSkills Australia claims that South Australia will be some 47,000 workers short in the construction, property and water industries by 2035. Also, according to the Housing Industry Association no less than $237,000 of the cost to purchase a new house and land package is directed towards state fees and taxes—some $237,000, which is extraordinary.

The opposition is undoubtedly pleased that the state government has finally moved to ease the restrictive residential growth boundaries that Labor itself had initially put in place some time ago, but we were disappointed that it blocked our amendments, which would have provided further reasonable options for additional land development equivalent to 10,000 homes. Instead of working in a bipartisan manner to achieve this by supporting sensible measures, the government has focused on land releases that are unlikely to help in actually seeing any residents move into them for this entire decade.

Stamp duty on established homes also continues to be a significant barrier for first-home buyers trying to enter the property market in our state, with latest figures showing a median-priced house in metropolitan Adelaide comes with a stamp duty bill close to $50,000. The opposition has been calling on the current Labor government to introduce a $10,000 reduction on stamp duty for established homes for eligible first-home buyers, a reasonable initiative that Labor has to this stage refused to adopt, despite the government collecting record stamp duty revenue. There is an opportunity to do that, and this bill would provide that opportunity.

South Australia is the only state in our nation that fails to offer any form of stamp duty relief for first-home buyers purchasing established homes—the only state in the nation. At a time when median house prices in Adelaide have skyrocketed and, according to some measurements at least, are now approaching $1 million (other figures have them well into $800,000), this type of reprieve—that is, a reduction in stamp duty—is desperately needed on established homes. The government stamp duty exemptions for all newly built homes is welcome, but it does not go far enough, as many South Australians who cannot afford to build a home are naturally seeking to purchase a more modest existing dwelling—for example, a townhouse or unit.

We note with interest that the Labor government adopted a key Liberal policy to fast-track apprenticeships, as announced by the opposition in December last year. The opposition outlined its detailed seven-point plan to address the critical shortage of skilled workers at that time, and strongly urged the government to adopt those crucial measures. Although it is a welcome development that Labor chose to take up this initiative, we are encouraging it to execute our entire strategy, which includes: three-year apprenticeships where appropriate; boosting group training; guaranteed funding for construction training; mentors for apprentices and their supervisors; payroll tax exemptions for trainees and apprentices; lifting the status of apprenticeships by bringing WorldSkills to Adelaide; and better career counselling and VET programs in all our schools. This bill provides that opportunity.

The latest data has revealed an 8.2 per cent drop in apprentices in training for the September 2024 quarter compared to the same period in 2023, and that fewer people now are actually undertaking training in our state than has been the case previously. This is of great concern. South Australia desperately requires more tradespeople and trainees across a wide range of industries, as I think all of us would understand. Unless the government takes a targeted approach on this matter to reverse this decline in skills, the skills crisis will continue to worsen and so, too, will the impact on housing.

In addition, South Australians have been hit with ever-exorbitant, ever-increasing power bills. Labor has failed to deliver its only energy-related policy promise at the last election. The state Labor government has spent the last three years focusing on its hydrogen power project, but it has now been shelved, as we know, leaving households and businesses with record-high electricity bills.

In fact, since the first AER default market offer report under the Malinauskas government in 2021, South Australians have seen their power bills rise by some $747, or approximately 36 per cent. This effectively means that South Australians are now paying more for electricity than those living in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, which is an additional financial strain that families and businesses across our state have to contend with and, as I said, we already have the lowest per capita income.

Further, South Australians are missing out on a key cost-of-living boost, with the Labor government refusing to provide subsidies for home solar batteries. The state opposition has been calling for the government to reinstate the Liberal's Home Battery Rebate Scheme that would save South Australians thousands of dollars and slash power bills. Most other states already have a similar scheme in existence, which homebuyers can take advantage of, or they can do so in conjunction with the federal government's 30 per cent subsidy. Not only would our policy save households thousands in up-front costs, but it would also assist in decreasing peak demand with fewer houses needing to be on the grid at one time which, of course, will ultimately drive down prices and take pressure off the grid.

In addition to our cost-of-living measures, and in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, to support struggling small businesses the Liberals have continued to implore the state government to increase the payroll tax threshold from $1.5 million to $2.1 million, as is our policy. Payroll tax has a direct and very significant impact on the profitability of small businesses, and every possible measure should be implemented to not only ensure existing small businesses can thrive but to encourage the establishment of new businesses without the burden of significant payroll tax around their neck.

As members are well aware, small businesses comprise no less than 98 per cent of all businesses registered in our state and employ over 300,000 South Australians. This accounts for 40 per cent of our total workforce, and we simply cannot afford to take the risk of these companies becoming increasingly less viable. Payroll tax plays a role in that, and the threshold must be increased as per our policy.

It was revealed through questions on notice from the Department of Treasury and Finance Budget and Finance Committee hearing recently that, at the end of January 2025, there were approximately 55,000 customers who have a combined outstanding debt of $62.9 million with SA Water that is now past their due date; that is, they are late in their payments. This is indicative of just how badly South Australians are struggling during this cost-of-living crisis. The opposition consequently has called on the state government to immediately reverse the water bill price hike of 3.5 per cent above the CPI. We see no reason for this.

The last thing South Australians need right now is higher fees and charges in excess of inflation especially, and hardworking families should not have to foot the extra $85 that that 3.5 per cent equates to. Small business owners actually have to stump up a whopping $348 extra annually for their water usage. This is unreasonable in these difficult times with the cost-of-living crisis. The former Liberal government slashed water bills by more than $200 on average for households, and approximately $1,350 for small businesses, and Labor, who promised there would be no new taxes when they won government about three years ago, should remember this, follow suit and remove this increase above CPI.

What the South Australian community really needs is relief to ease the spiralling cost of living and the cost of doing business in South Australia. The budget and the Supply Bill can form part of that. Alarmingly, in addition, our state debt is expected to hit almost $41 billion by 2026-27, is forecast to reach $46 billion by 2027-28, and there is some speculation, some concern, that it could reach $50 billion by the end of this decade. This is a very extraordinary level of debt, it is unprecedented debt in South Australia, and the opposition I think is rightly concerned that more revenue-raising measures need to be put in place, but not in such a way that they hinder the operation of business, that they make housing less affordable, that they make our electricity bills more expensive and that they make water bills more expensive.

There must be a way for the government to look at this situation in a holistic manner so that businesses and households do not get hit, but benefits South Australians during a very difficult time with cost-of-living pressures.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (11:27): I welcome the opportunity to speak on the government's Supply Bill. As is, of course, the convention in this place, I will be supporting it. I think it is fair to say the Supply Bill reflects the priorities of this Labor government, and the priorities I think are lacking; the vision is lacking when it comes to providing sufficient focus on cost of living.

One of the areas that I have spoken about extensively in the parliament over the last four years that I have been here is the failure to take sufficient action on spiralling rent prices. Yesterday, I spoke about the need for Labor to finally support a rent freeze to provide some relief to renters who are doing it tough at the moment and yet we still see no leadership from the Labor government when it comes to rent prices.

Another area that I think has been neglected by Labor is public transport. We are not seeing that get the focus it requires. Where is the funding for regional rail? Rather than pumping billions and billions of dollars into the north-south corridor project, federal and state money, where is the money being put in to transform our transport system in South Australia to provide more options to commuters so that they are not forced to take a car in to work? Where is the investment in regional public transport? Where is the focus on reducing public transport fares?

While other states, like Queensland for instance, have rolled out 50¢ public transport fares, which have resulted in a significant increase in public transport users, SA Labor have hiked up public transport fares, and South Australians are now paying the highest public transport fees in the nation. Labor should instead be committing to rolling out 50¢ public transport fees. That would save South Australian commuters, on average, close to $3,000 a year for families. That is a significant saving. That is more money in the hip pocket of families, it reduces congestion on our roads and, importantly, it reduces carbon emissions at this time of climate crisis. I urge the Labor government to finally take some action on that.

Where is the action on power prices? The Labor Party took to the last election a plan for green hydrogen. We know that the devil is always in the detail with these plans, and what they put to this parliament was actually a pathway for more dirty gas and blue hydrogen. When the Greens tried to scrutinise it, that was shut down by the Labor government working in concert with a few members of the crossbench to prevent this proposal from getting the scrutiny it deserves. We know now, of course, that that plan has blown up in Labor's face, and they have totally abandoned it.

What comes next in terms of a proposal to reduce power bills? When the Labor government came to office, they scrapped the subsidy scheme for home batteries and for solar. Those schemes had actually been multiparty schemes in South Australia. They were supported by the previous Marshall government as well and I recognise that, yet when Tom Koutsantonis—

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Tom Koutsantonis.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: —the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis, Minister for Energy, returned to the government benches, he took swift action to junk those subsidies. He claimed at the time that it was some form of middle-class welfare. What has the Labor government come up with to replace those schemes? Where is the investment in alternatives to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels? What Labor should be doing is rolling out a battery incentive scheme to plug the gaps of the federal investment—which, of course, I welcome—and continue to offer solar subsidies, but particularly targeted at low income earners who are doing it tough and who are struggling with soaring electricity bills.

Where is the action in our health system? I recognise that the Labor government has invested a significant amount of money in health over this term, and I know that Minister Picton is committed to trying to get the health crisis under control, and I understand that this is a challenging area, but at the same time, ramping continues to skyrocket out of control, and the recommendations of the Ambulance Employees Association have still not been implemented in full.

We also have South Australian pensioners paying the highest fees for ambulance call-outs in the country. We know that every other state has provided free ambulance cover to pensioners; why won't the government do so? Also, where is the leadership on things like access to vital medications, things like the HIV prevention medication PrEP? We have a small population in South Australia; we could make that free so that we could finally eliminate HIV in our state and significantly reduce the risk of transmission.

Where also is the leadership from this Labor government on ending the harm caused by pokies? The Labor government continues to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars of pokies revenue. We know that poker machines literally trade off human misery. We also know that for every dollar of revenue that comes in, the state ends up paying an additional $1.20 in support services to deal with the social harms that flow from gambling. It is morally wrong that so much of our state budget is reliant on revenue from poker machines.

It is morally wrong. It is reprehensible. That is money that is being drawn from vulnerable South Australians. It is money that is being made off these machines that literally destroy lives. Over the years, I have met with many constituents who have lost everything as a result of these machines, yet the argument from the government seems to be that these machines bring in a lot of revenue, therefore we have to keep them. I find that morally wrong, and I think most South Australians would agree with the Greens that now is the time for us to get rid of pokies and to have a long-term plan to get our state off pokies.

The Hon. C. Bonaros: Just the Greens?

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I recognise other members have been talking about it, too, and they will have an opportunity to talk as well. Once again, in this Supply Bill, there is not the leadership that is needed to deal with this critical question. Where is the leadership from Labor on gambling revenue? The government will say it cannot take action on pokies, it cannot fund some of the things that I have talked about in my speech. Well, budgets are about choices. I know that the government is going to be handing down a budget later today, and that will reflect its choices, but this Supply Bill also reflects the priorities of the Labor government.

What is clear is that rather than providing the funding for the services that we need—in terms of ensuring that an ambulance is there when you need it and you are not going to have to pay through the teeth to get one, investing in the public housing that we need, breaking our state's reliance on gambling revenue—instead, what the Labor government is doing is shelling out millions and millions of dollars of subsidies to fossil fuels. Indeed, over the last four years, there have been $100 million worth of subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. That is money that should be invested in dealing with the effects of climate change, invested in dealing with the cost-of-living crisis, providing the services that we all need.

We have also seen this Labor government fail to take action in terms of getting corporations to pay their fair share of tax. When the Weatherill government was in office, they rolled out a plan for a big bank levy that would have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. That was killed off here in the parliament as a result of a ridiculous scare campaign that was waged by vested interests, and some of the crossbenchers in this place at the time caved in to that vested interests campaign. I thought that was very disappointing. I urge the Labor government to support a big bank levy so that we can get more revenue for the services that we need and to help the government in making the right choices.

We do not have to be reliant on gambling revenue, for instance, in order to bankroll public services. I find that suggestion morally reprehensible. I hope that, as we head towards the next election, we see some action from the Labor government on these important matters. Luckily, the Greens are here—the Green is here—to continue to push the government to take action on these issues. I will continue to do so between now and the next election and look forward to being joined by hopefully a few other members this time next year.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (11:38): I rise today to speak on the Supply Bill 2025. The Supply Bill is essential to ensure the continued operation of government, enabling government to access necessary funds until the Appropriation Bill. To uphold the convention and respect for the work of our public sector, I will be supporting the Supply Bill to ensure that payments can continue to the Public Service, government departments and vital ongoing programs.

However, I will use this opportunity to highlight a number of areas where I believe the government can do more, can do better, to support our community and enable business and industry to grow our economy. Easing the cost-of-living burden on individuals and families remains a key priority for me and should be for the government as well. It is an issue that is continually raised with me by community members across South Australia.

I had the privilege to be on the Select Committee on Grocery Pricing in South Australia last year, where we heard from a wide range of witnesses and conducted a number of site visits with the Hon. Robert Simms across metropolitan and regional South Australia. From this evidence, the committee found that there is a lack of transparency around grocery pricing in South Australia and that this is a factor contributing to high prices, which are placing increased pressure on South Australian families.

I once again highlight the recommendations made by the select committee and urge the government to seriously consider implementing budget measures, such as providing additional cost-of-living relief, additional support to charities and support agencies that provide access to low cost food, and the potential for a payroll tax exemption for fresh produce businesses and primary production food businesses to reduce costs to industry and encourage competition.

On the topic of payroll tax, GPs already run on very thin margins and cannot absorb increasing costs, such as the government's new payroll tax, which came into effect on 1 July 2024. The rising cost of GP visits means more South Australians are turning away from making appointments, leading to increased pressure on emergency departments and worse health outcomes for patients.

While the government argues that a payroll tax exemption on bulk-billed services is meant to be an incentive for GPs to bulk-bill more patients, the reality is that bulk-billing rates are decreasing and average South Australians are paying more at each visit. The government must address this issue when handing down its budget this afternoon and abolish the GP payroll tax and make GP visits more affordable, to reduce pressure on ramping and on our hospital system.

While on the topic of payroll tax reform, I believe the government can go further. Our current payroll tax system is not fair and does not adequately take into account the growing financial pressures on small and medium-sized businesses due to national wage increases, increased superannuation rates and WorkCover insurance. Many small businesses are now facing substantial increases in weekly payroll costs and are forced to make difficult decisions about pricing, staffing and service delivery.

I have heard from countless business owners who tell me that payroll tax is a key consideration when deciding whether they should take on new staff, and that it seriously hinders their ability and ambition to grow and contribute to our state's economy. I urge the Labor government to review the state payroll tax system, raise the payroll tax threshold for small business and ensure that we can support decent wages for workers and the sustainability of small business across South Australia.

In my continual engagement with stakeholders and industry leaders, another issue that is raised with me time and again is that of crime and community safety. Just this week, I have given notice of a motion highlighting the growing impact that crime and antisocial behaviour is having on South Australian businesses, particularly within the hotel and hospitality sector. The increasing frequency and violence of organised and repeat offenders targeting bottle shops and licensed venues and exposure of hospitality staff to abuse and unsafe working conditions is unacceptable. This Supply Bill has not dealt with any of these issues. I note that the Australian Hotels Association is calling on the state government to:

introduce stronger legal consequences for repeat and violent offenders targeting licensed venues;

investigate the implementation of exclusion orders or similar legal tools to prevent re-entry by known offenders; and

provide financial support to hospitality venues for crime prevention infrastructure, following the example set by other jurisdictions.

I urge the government to consider these proposals from the hotel industry to help address crime and increase worker and community safety.

I have also spoken recently about a number of fantastic programs addressing skills shortages in key industries across our state, such as the BuildConnect program, pioneered by Master Builders SA in partnership with government. Business and industry sectors across South Australia are crying out for more workers in construction, engineering, IT, even space and defence while, at the same time, we have thousands of skilled migrants already living in South Australia who are underemployed and not working in their chosen career.

This program connects skilled migrants with job opportunities that match their experience and qualifications, providing case management, mentoring and transition services that are customised and aimed at creating greater outcomes for both workers and businesses. These pilot programs are showing great potential to get people into jobs, but they need long-term funding to scale up and sustain their impact.

For instance, there are around 2,500 international students enrolled in building and construction courses in South Australia, with many eager to stay, to live and to work in our state, but are often unable to put their qualifications to good use in an industry that desperately needs them. I call on the state government to create post-study opportunities and job-ready programs that help us to retain the brightest minds and talent in South Australia, and work with the federal government to ensure visa and residency pathways align with our skills needs.

I want to finally turn my attention to regional child care. I want to briefly touch on this issue because it greatly impacts our regional economies and communities, stifling the economic development and potential of regional South Australian communities, and is also hampering the wellbeing of children and families across much of our state.

Critical childcare shortages across most of our regions are forcing parents to drive long distances to drop their children at childcare centres, relying on family and friends to provide care, or having to step back from their work and careers altogether to care for their children. The flow-on impacts for families, businesses and communities should not be underestimated. The Regional Childcare Desert Advocacy Project has called for increased funding for the state government's Rural Care Program to expand the program to more regional and remote communities with limited childcare options. I echo these calls and hope to also see funding allocated for regional early learning infrastructure in the state government's budget announcement this afternoon because it is currently missing from the Supply Bill.

From my engagement with constituents from all walks of life, from all cultures, industries, businesses and backgrounds, it is clear that addressing the challenges of the cost of living, providing better access to quality health care, education and social services, supporting industries and initiatives to grow our economy, and building a safe and inclusive economy are the key priorities we must focus on as elected representatives, and should be priorities for this government.

I am committed to putting our community first and will always continue to take every opportunity to speak about government priorities. Today, I commend the bill and call on the government to help build our state's prosperity.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (11:48): I rise to speak on the 2025 Supply Bill, a bill to keep our hospitals, schools, roads and community services running until the 2025-26 budget is passed. Today, I want to focus on housing, a topic that is often talked about. This is one of the most widely talked about concerns of South Australians and Australians. Labor's ambitious goal to boost residential land supply will pave the way for close to 40,000 new residential homes across the state as part of its plan called A Better Housing Future, and the current pipeline of residential rezoning.

The government is on track to deliver the biggest investment in public housing in decades. The South Australian Housing Trust is committed to building 1,635 new and replacement public rental homes through a range of programs and projects. We are also modernising and updating 3,500 homes, which includes 350 homes benefiting from major upgrades and another 3,000 having major maintenance undertaken.

These initiatives include our election commitments and other commitments to invest an extra $232.7 million to build 573 homes, including 445 new homes under the Public Housing Improvement Program and 128 new homes through A Better Housing Future funding. To date, construction of 227 homes under these two programs has been completed, and another 346 are under construction. By 2026, 1,000 affordable homes will be built for purchase, with at least 500 properties listed for sale each year through HomeSeeker SA. This will bring the dream of home ownership back into reality for young professionals, families and new migrants.

Affordability is at the heart of Labor's housing initiatives. For first-home buyers, the government has abolished stamp duty on all new dwellings, regardless of what they cost. On top of that we have retained the $15,000 First Home Owner Grant, saving buyers tens of thousands of dollars. For renters, Labor has introduced several critical protections to give a greater sense of housing security, and we have reduced the bond threshold, which has saved tenants up to $1,600 in up-front costs. Other programs that we are working on to provide more homes for our most vulnerable include $115 million over four years to secure the work of nine homelessness alliances and $6 million for the Hutt St Centre, Catherine House and Vinnies to increase beds and outreach.

Labor's Housing Roadmap success rests on innovative reforms. The Infrastructure Coordination Group aligns planning with essential services like roads, public transport and schools, ensuring developments are sustainable. A record $1.5 billion investment in water infrastructure helped to facilitate the approval of 1,333 new allotments from Angle Vale to Noarlunga Downs; this is part of a $3.3 billion SA Water central works capital program going through to 2028.

New legislation, including the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act, has streamlined approvals, earning South Australia the Business Council of Australia's top ranking for planning efficiency. To address workforce shortages and ensure the building of homes is sustained, the government is creating 2,000 new construction jobs and expanding training programs.

Labor also had the foresight to fund a pilot program, called BuildConnect, with Master Builders SA, which the Hon. Jing Lee just outlined. This fast-tracks new migrants into construction jobs. It was reported this week in the media that residential building work in SA grew by an exceptional 22.9 per cent compared with last year, with new detached houses up 22.6 per cent and new apartment/unit building up 27.9 per cent.

The Supply Bill keeps these reforms moving and, most importantly, sustains the programs that are helping our most vulnerable during these tough times. The Labor Malinauskas government has addressed structural problems not symptoms, and we are starting to see the result. I therefore commend the 2025 Supply Bill to the chamber.

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (11:54): I rise to indicate my support for the Supply Bill. This bill allows the continued provision of public services in South Australia. It also offers a great opportunity to reflect on the work of this government. I am proud to be part of a Labor government that takes a holistic approach to the wellbeing of our citizens. I am proud to be a member of a government that is focused on supporting families, communities and people to realise their full potential.

That journey begins in the early years, and this government has committed wholeheartedly to implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care. Implementing these recommendations is not just about building infrastructure and workforce; it is about changing how we think about the role of educators and about children's learning. This government committed to the task of implementing universal access to three-year-old preschool, which will begin its rollout with long daycare services from next year.

To support this rollout, we have made a number of key investments in the early childhood sector. The Flying Start Infrastructure Grants program invests $40 million over four years to support the building of new or expanded facilities where they are needed. We are establishing integrated hubs across the state, linking essential services for families who need it the most. By 2032, a total of 20 hubs will be operating across the state, bringing preschool together with other health, wellbeing and education offerings. Our Early Childhood Workforce Strategy is a comprehensive plan to build and grow a strong and valued workforce. This government has provided funding to find, attract, upskill and retain staff into this critical industry.

Reaching our full potential in life requires support beyond the early years. To this end, I am particularly proud of this government's focus on preventative health. Last year, we consolidated key prevention functions into a single agency, with the Preventive Health SA Bill, recognising its role as a crucial area of health policy. Around 38 per cent of Australians are impacted by health issues that could have been prevented if exposure to risk factors, including obesity, smoking, alcohol and drugs, was reduced. Preventive Health SA will improve health equity across future generations by supporting South Australians to make healthy choices about the way they live. As we all know, prevention is better than cure.

This government has worked hard in the last three years to improve the lives not just of South Australians today but of future South Australians. We have backed up our intent with significant investment, planning and infrastructure to set up the conditions for future prosperity. We want this state to be the best state to be born in, to raise a child in, and to live and work in, but we also need it to be a good state to be in should you fall sick, face a crisis or need to care for ageing parents or other family members. I look forward to the upcoming budget and to seeing this Malinauskas government announce further initiatives to support future and current South Australians in reaching their full potential.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (11:58): I rise to speak in support of the Supply Bill, which will give the government the funds necessary to continue the business of good governance. Good governance is something which the Labor government over many, many years has been responsible for. I go out to very many forums, committees and the like, and I am embarrassed at the praise that people give our current Treasurer, the Treasurer of our generation. It is sometimes humbling to know that we have a Treasurer as highly respected as the Hon. Stephen Mullighan.

While conservatives have for generations argued against Labor's economics, not even they could question the government's economic record. Not only does this Labor government get things done; we do it while sticking to a responsible budget. We actually get roads built. After decades of delays because of the enormity of the exercise we did something about South Road. It is a work in progress, but the finishing post is within sight. When completed, it will be the best end-to-end road system of any Australian capital city. We are fixing the problems where Grange Road meets Holbrooks Road and East Avenue, and we are constructing the Majors Road interchange. That is $210 million spent on essential roadworks while employing 330 people.

We also got the hospital built. Despite the opposition saying we did not need a new hospital, we acted on the advice of experts, including doctors, nurses and engineers, that the old Royal Adelaide Hospital was past its use-by date and was actually making people sick. We also factored in the economic reality that it is in fact often cheaper to build something new than to renovate something old. We all remember that the vision the Liberals had for the Royal Adelaide Hospital was to knock out a few walls and give it a paint job. That was about the depth of their vision for the health care of this state.

We also made the most of one of the world's great sporting arenas and actually improved the wonderful Adelaide Oval. Short-sighted people argued against the redevelopment. They said it was spending too much money just to hold a footy match or a cricket test. That was a very short-sighted argument. The redevelopment gave the Adelaide CBD a much-needed shot in the arm and created huge interest in city dining, entertainment and culture. It was a massive boost for this city's economy.

Of course, Adelaide Oval is the home of the Gather Round. Imagine having five of the nine Gather Round matches at West Lakes and then trying to encourage the many thousands of interstate and overseas visitors to go out on the town after the match. You do not have to imagine, because we simply would not have got the Gather Round in the first place.

That is what we have done, but there is always more to do. The Labor government has completed—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Mr President, if they want to have a conversation, they should go outside and enjoy it and do it in peace.

The PRESIDENT: I am pleased, the Hon. Mr Wortley, that you can make a speech and be the President at the same time. You are exceptional.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: No, I am just giving advice to the President, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: Okay. Let's listen to the Hon. Mr Wortley.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: The Labor government is committed to improving and expanding TAFE so it gives more people the opportunity to gain better skills in areas previously not fully supported. Careers in construction, early childhood education and even defence will be supported so we give young people the best opportunity to enter these fields, which in turn gives South Australia the best outcomes.

Labor has created planning reforms to build new housing developments 18 months faster. We are addressing the housing shortage by getting new homes built, from Two Wells in the north to Onkaparinga Heights in the south.

Keeping the state running means people can get on with their work without worrying where the next mortgage or rent payment is coming from. Since Labor came to office we have created 40,000 full-time jobs. South Australia has one million people in the workforce for the first time ever. Exports are at record highs. The two highest ever figures for exports have been in the past two years, both surpassing $17 billion.

We need the Supply Bill passed to get real things done. It is a very simple and sensible way of avoiding unnecessary hardship or letting things stall for no good reason. It allows us to continue doing a lot of essential work, including the ongoing construction of the Torrens to Darlington roadworks and the construction of the new Women's and Children's Hospital.

Having access to $7.6 billion from the consolidated account for public service to the state allows us to get work done while paying the wages of our government workers. We can debate the budget in a healthy, democratic manner, but until it is passed we need to keep South Australia moving fast.

The Hon. C. BONAROS (12:04): I rise to speak on the Supply Bill. I might start with one of the areas we have heard a bit about today. Given some of the other contributions we have heard, we know that supply is very important to this state—and I will keep referencing supply throughout the course of my contribution for that reason—but I cannot help but start with payroll tax. Without payroll tax, we do not have supply, but so scared is this Treasurer of lifting the lid on payroll tax that he has completely dismissed and ignored the will of this chamber and refused to allow an independent inquiry into payroll tax.

Even worse than that, and in so doing, he has refused to turn his attention to the incentives that we could be implementing to ease the pressures on small and medium businesses in this state and provide more money for supply. Unless he intends to make a very welcome announcement this afternoon, that is, frankly, a slap in the face to every single business that is struggling to keep their doors open. It is over $5 million a day that those businesses contribute to those state coffers that we rely on for supply. This government has refused, and continues to refuse, to look at things that could help them grow and prosper.

I should not need to have to remind the Premier and the Treasurer that these businesses are paying payroll tax, regardless of whether they are generating a profit. We have just seen another wage increase that will further exacerbate that pain. Payroll tax is not, as the Premier has described, 'just a tax on jobs'; it is a cash cow for government that they simply cannot wean themselves from.

This government does talk the talk about the economic drivers. We have heard many contributions today about economic growth and the sorts of things that contribute to supply and ensuring we have the funds for supply. It talks about the things it is committed to strengthening, namely, job growth and investment in the state, but it ignores the great big elephant in the room crippling those same drivers. You cannot grow business and expand your workforce if you cannot afford the payroll tax debt that comes with. Despite the government's rhetoric, it remains the single largest factor holding businesses back from employing more people in this state.

I cannot recall a single time when the Treasurer has come out and said anything remotely promising about payroll tax, let alone anything that would signal relief for those same small and medium businesses, and of course the exact same thing can be said in relation to poker machine taxes and gambling taxes. If you are relying on payroll tax, gambling tax and land tax to keep supply going, then you have a problem. A billion dollars from poker machines outside of the Casino is nothing to be proud of; it is reprehensible. Again, the level of resistance from government to consider reform is, frankly, like pulling teeth.

I do support many of the proposals the government puts forward in this place, like many of us, but they are making it harder and harder to do so in the face of, frankly, their pigheadedness and stubbornness when it comes to those two issues. When it comes to payroll tax, when it comes to gambling tax and when it comes to land tax—the egg the Premier says we cannot unscramble—it is not through lack of trying. I have not just talked about poker machines in this place and the impact they have on our community, I have given this place every single opportunity to do something meaningful about it, year in, year out.

My memory is actually long enough to remember a time when the Greens had to backflip from a terrible decision they made around ATMs on poker machines in this state, and I am pretty realistic when it comes to the reforms that are needed in this place centred on harm minimisation. I know the idea of getting rid of poker machines, while very appealing to all of us, is something that makes the Treasurer shake in his boots, but that does not mean we cannot do something like New South Wales and Tasmania. It does not mean we cannot have a crack.

I have to say that given the reliance on those taxes in this state, which is not a good thing, the proposals that I have heard from the Greens are about as pie in the sky today as they were in 2018, especially when you have real meaningful reforms you could be moving that would actually make a dent without impacting supply for those people who feel the pain of those machines each and every day. In order to have supply we have to have money—we all know that, we get the general gist—but that cannot come at the expense of small and medium businesses, it cannot come at the expense of people losing their livelihoods to poker machines and it cannot come at the expense of landowners being treated as cash cows.

For the record—and I did not speak on this yesterday—I do not support proposals like taxing people on their vacant land, I do not support penalising people who have managed to acquire a property and generate a little extra income for themselves through short-term rentals, because they are facing the same pressures as everybody else, and that is something we seem to forget. The person who offers their place on a short-term rental accommodation basis is also struggling in the same way that every other small and medium business is struggling, the same way all the families that we have talked about today are struggling. They are also trying to pay their highest electricity bill in the nation, they are also trying to put food on the table for their families, and they are also trying to send their kids to school.

Targeting those people who cannot afford to be targeted—and we should not be targeting—is not the answer. Frankly, that is not how you deal with the housing shortage in this state, that is absolutely not how you deal with the housing shortage, and it certainly is not how you deal with the fact that we now live in the second most expensive city in the world and people cannot afford homes here anymore. Aside from that, and we are focusing on homes, people are struggling to put food on their table and pay their electricity bill, let alone their rent.

Each morning, I drive past three buildings: Puddle Jumpers, Foodbank and OzHarvest. I can tell you I do the same in the evening when I go home, and the queues are getting longer and longer. People are standing there, waiting for goods to take back to their families and to their kids to be able to eat that night. Were it not for services and charities like that, the likelihood is they would not have anything to eat that night. Parents are foregoing meals to make sure that their kids are actually fed.

More than 32 per cent of Australian households are experiencing food insecurity. In 2023, Foodbank reported that 255,000 South Australian homes struggled to put food on the table, 150,000 experienced food insecurity—that is 42,000 up from the previous year—and 50 per cent of food insecure family households are in paid work; they are actually working. We are not just talking about a demographic of people who are unemployed. We seem to lose sight of that: we are talking about one particular demographic. When we talk about the creep effect of payroll tax, the exact same creep effect applies within food insecurity and people who cannot afford their utilities, food and rent anymore. It is getting more and more expensive and people simply cannot afford it anymore.

KickStart are dealing with kids who are feeling the brunt of this each and every day. We now rely on KickStart to deliver 60,000 breakfasts and 10,000 lunches a week in South Australia across 360 schools, and 2,000 period products every month to those same schools. We need to get real about those problems—real problems that are confronting people each and every day. These are our neighbours and they are our communities. They are those living in our ageing populations, in our retirement villages. It does not matter what age you are and what suburb you live in anymore, people are struggling. But we do not address that by refusing to budge on things like payroll tax and gambling tax that only serve to exacerbate the problem. It does not fix it, and it certainly does not help us keep on top of supply in this state.

If you want to know why we have so many kids in child protection, if you want to know why we have so many kids in juvenile detention, if you want to know why crime rates are the way they are, if you want to know how we set up a system that leads kids on a one-way trajectory to adult detention, then you need to start looking at all these issues holistically because they are not isolated. Child protection is not isolated from juvenile detention. Juvenile detention is not isolated from adult detention. Mental health is not isolated from detention in either setting.

None of these things are isolated from poverty. None of these things are isolated from food insecurity. None of these things are isolated from small and medium businesses going under. I have a business and, over the Christmas break, I counted the number of cars that were using their car park to live in. I think we reached five at one point. That was the maximum number of cars. It started with one and a tent and it resulted in about five or six all over the same period.

They were lucky that it was a bit of a remote block and the neighbours that were businesses did not mind, but these are not people who are not doing their bit; these are people who are saying, 'We just cannot afford to live here anymore.' That should be front and centre of our minds, not only when we consider the Supply Bill but when we consider the budget this afternoon and every other piece of legislation that we pass through this place, and every other policy that we implement that affects and impacts all South Australians and all of our communities.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (12:16): I thank all members for their very wideranging contributions on this matter and look forward to the committee stage.

Bill read a second time.

Committee Stage

Bill taken through committee without amendment.

Third Reading

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (12:18): I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Bill read a third time and passed.

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