Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Acting Deputy President. I note that there is some level of bleating coming from the other side! I had a very enjoyable evening with Senator Farrell, but I must say that as the night went on his predictions looked less and less likely to come about.

But it wasn't just an election victory for the Liberals in my home state of South Australia; it was actually a victory for all South Australians. This wasn't just any old typical election. We had an interesting third force in it, and that was the Nick Xenophon team. So with all the challenges that were thrown at Steven Marshall and his team and that they had to overcome, it was a resounding victory. It was a great victory. And I think that still, no matter how much of a challenge was thrown at us by the third-party Nick Xenophon team, the main challenge still remained the Weatherill Labor government.

There have been 16 years under this government, which has profoundly neglected South Australia, and I believe that it has profoundly neglected where I live in South Australia—rural and regional areas. South Australia was the laughing-stock of the country, with the highest-priced and most unreliable power in the nation.