Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I had the good fortune on the weekend to hear the South Australian Treasurer, Kevin Foley, speak at the state ALP convention. He made the very salient point that not only is Australia the best-performing economy in the OECD but South Australia, my home state, is the best-performing state in the country. While the Adelaide Crows may not have won this year’s AFL premiership—nor for that matter did Port Adelaide—South Australia has delivered impressive results this year in growth and economic development.

As one of South Australia’s Labor senators, it gives me a great sense of pride to place my state under the spotlight because, despite the tough times our nation is currently experiencing, South Australia, led by the Rann Labor government, is leading the nation. Adelaide and South Australia have it all. Where else in Australia can you buy a three-bedroom town house within the city square mile for less than $400,000, have an airport 10 minutes from the CBD—you cannot have that in Hobart—and enjoy an old-fashioned counter meal in a city pub for less than $5 or dine out at a typical restaurant for $25 a head?