Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to set the record straight. The Local Government Association of South Australia and the state Labor government have been running a misinformation campaign in South Australia. They are trying to shift the blame for state government cuts. I want to be put on the record as voicing my strong objection to the Weatherill government's decision to hit pensioners and to state the facts. As many voters know, the provision of concessional payments, whether they be water or utilities, for pensioners to assist with council rates is the responsibility of state governments. However, the South Australian Labor government has decided to walk away from pensioners and it will no longer honour that responsibility.

Here are the facts. Under the terms of the National Partnerships Agreement, the federal government only contributes 10 per cent of the funding for the state governments' pensioner concessions—yes, 10 per cent. That means the Weatherill Labor government is responsible for 90 per cent of the funding concessions—I repeat, 90 per cent. This equates to $171 out of $190 for state government concessions. While it is true that 10 per cent will no longer be funded by the federal government, the federal coalition government has increased funding to South Australia by 23 per cent, or $1.8 billion over the forward estimates. Let me repeat that: a 23 per cent or $1.8 billion increase over the forward estimates. South Australia's GST funding will increase to almost $5 billion in 2014-15. From the increased funding from the federal government, the Weatherill Labor government could have chosen to continue to pay for the concessions, but they have chosen to blame someone else—as they do with so many other things—and instead they have pocketed $98 million of budget funding.

Every other state government, except South Australia, has agreed to fund the full concession. In speaking to the member for Moore earlier, he confirmed that the Western Australian government had funded 100 per cent of council concessions. So every other state government has funded these concessions. The South Australian Labor government has a poor track record when it comes to budget management; its decision to remove funding for council rate concessions reflects its inability to balance the budget. It is not the federal government's fault that the Weatherill government has delivered the highest deficit and recorded the highest debt in South Australia's history.

The Weatherill Labor government's decision to cut pensioner concessions will have a significant impact on approximately 160,000 pensioner-owned properties in South Australia that receive up to $190 per year to help reduce their council costs. The Weatherill Labor government have chosen to attack some of the most vulnerable in our community, who are already facing increased emergency services bills, higher water rates and higher electricity rates due to solar feed-in tariffs. They have got their priorities wrong. They are closing hospitals, they are hitting the vulnerable and they are using taxpayers' money to fund PR campaigns. They need to stop blaming everyone else and start taking responsibility for South Australia's woeful financial performance.