Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator Wong. I refer the minister to the dire set of economic data in her home state of South Australia after yet another two major home builders were placed into administration this week. We have the worst state credit rating in Australia at AA. We have building approvals dropping for 16 consecutive months, including a 22 per cent drop in the 12 months to August. We have construction work declining 7.9 per cent for the 12 months to June; South Australia was the only state to record a decline for this period. And we have a 23.2 per cent decline in dwelling commencements in the 12 months to June, with South Australia having the lowest number of dwelling commencements in 11 years. When will the government accept responsibility for the catastrophic state of the South Australian economy, caused by a double whammy of federal and state Labor governments' economic policies?