Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

This is a very important motion because it highlights—despite what those on the other side have said—that it was Labor out in front on this issue, talking about the importance of the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme project. It was Labor that took it to the last election as an election commitment and it was Labor that, in opposition, led the way in committing the funds. The Liberal Party—embarrassed, being outdone again and again by Labor in South Australia—have committed a measly 50 per cent of what Labor committed, so their heart isn't really in this project. But they have been forced into it by embarrassment, by federal Labor and the member for Wakefield's work in embarrassing them to this position, and they are now going to invest. It is 50 per cent less than Labor would invest, but nonetheless they are investing. They were embarrassed into doing this.

There is a good reason why they had to be embarrassed into doing this. When the budget came out on budget night, I went through the budget papers, looking for the new investment in South Australia. I saw investment into New South Wales, into the new airport, investment into Brisbane and investment into Victoria, but I couldn't find any new investment—not a single new dollar to be invested—in South Australia. That is what this federal Liberal government thinks of South Australia. It is quite in contrast to federal Labor, who have been on the front foot calling for investment in South Australia.

The subject of this motion in front of us, the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme, is just one example. Being in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, I know the transition that we are now going through with the car industry exiting, after Joe Hockey goaded Holden to leave this country—and we will never forget what Joe Hockey, the then Treasurer, did to the car industry. He challenged them to leave, and that's what they've now done. We are now facing the consequences of that in South Australia.

Only federal Labor have been willing to say, 'We want to invest in South Australia.' We want to invest. We had to run an almighty campaign to get the submarines built in South Australia, because, of course, we know that the then Prime Minister Tony Abbott had done the deal to send the whole construction, the whole contract, off to Japan. We know that is the case. And we have serious concerns about what this government plans to do with the frigates. Is it going to ensure that we get the technology and the know-how in Australia, with South Australia as the hub? This is a really important question that this government has failed to answer time and time again.

We know that the member for Sturt will use weasel words to try to get around reporters when he is asked point blank how much work will be in South Australia and in Australia. He won't answer that question, whether it comes to the frigates or the submarines. We know they are disingenuous about investment in South Australia. It was very interesting that the member for Grey brought up the GST. Only the federal Labor team have put forward a motion that both addresses the issues that Western Australia faces with the distribution and protects the carve-up for other states, including, importantly, South Australia. Only the federal government of the day are saying, 'We're thinking about potentially penalising other states.' The government are looking at that, and, once again, you get weasel words, depending on what state you're in.

Federal Labor have been very, very clear. We are leading the way when it comes to policy development and important projects like the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme. Of course, this isn't new. When in government, federal Labor led the way. The federal Labor government invested in water infrastructure and indeed infrastructure right across my electorate and South Australia. We often hear the government talk about the Torrens to Torrens part of South Road. We know they never wanted to fund it. We know they were once again guilted and embarrassed into funding that project, because it had already started. They wanted to play politics with it time and time again. Well, it's important that they invest in this scheme and in South Australia, and we will hold them to account when they don't.

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