Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to speak about some of the achievements of the Rann Labor government in South Australia—achievements that have benefited our great state.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That won’t take long!

Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will take that interjection, Senator Parry. I will not be able to get through all of the achievements in the 10 minutes that I have because the list is so long.

The Rann government has strengthened our state’s economic foundation with sound financial management over the last eight years. In 2004 the government released South Australia’s strategic plan, which delivers goals, targets and a vision for our future. Some of those are in the area of food and wine—being the great food and wine state that we are. The Labor government has revitalised the state food plan and established a South Australian Food Centre at the Regency TAFE campus to further promote and develop produce in this state. In partnership with industry and the Commonwealth government, the state government has built a new irrigation pipeline to provide water security to high-value grapevines in the Langhorne and Currency Creek areas.

The state government has supported the Buy Local campaign to help support farmers and producers in South Australia. It has made a commitment through the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide to protect the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale wine-producing areas from urban sprawl. In 2008-09 our state’s gross food revenue reached a record $12.4 billion, with our finished foods sector returning to its previous record level of $4.4 billion. Overseas exports of South Australian food grew by as much as 18 per cent over the year, to reach $2.4 billion. Our finished food exports achieved a nine per cent growth over the year to reach a new record high of $1.3 billion. Employment in the South Australian food industry also reached a new record high of 146,000, with 7200 additional jobs being created over the year. Last week in South Australia, the Clipsal 500 event was held. The Rann Labor government understands the importance of bringing to the state major events such as this. It knows that they are major drivers of economic growth and that they showcase South Australia as the amazing state it is.

The events that we have in South Australia include WOMADelaide, the International Rugby Sevens, the Tour Down Under, the Cabaret Festival, the Adelaide Fringe and Adelaide Festival. Our annual events program injects hundreds of millions of dollars into our economy each year. In fact, in 2008 the Tour Down Under was the world’s first UCI Pro Tour event ever held outside of Europe. And in 2009 the Tour Down Under injected $39 million into the state’s economy and attracted 36,200 visitors to South Australia. South Australia was also a showcase to the rest of the world, with more than 200 hours of international media coverage for the event. The 2010 Tour Down Under was bigger than ever, with record crowds of 762,000.

Major infrastructure buildings supported by the state government in the 2009-10 state budget will support nearly 14,000 jobs over the next 12 months. Unemployment figures continue to show that record numbers of South Australians are in jobs—in December 2009, figures indicated that there were 103,700 new jobs since the Rann government was elected. And of course we know that South Australia has the lowest unemployment rate in Australia.

Let’s talk about water. The state Labor government’s construction of a $1.83 billion desalination plant is well underway. It will deliver up to half of Adelaide’s water needs when fully operational. The desalination plant is on track to produce its first water in December 2010 and it will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy from green-power-accredited sources located in South Australia. South Australia took the lead on national water reform and the establishment of the independent Murray-Darling Basin Authority. This has helped to ensure that, for the first time in our history, the Murray will be a river without borders.

South Australia leads the nation in the recycling of waste water. Currently, around 31 per cent of our waste water is recycled, and this will be increased to 45 per cent by 2013. Our recycling waste water program includes a recently completed Glenelg to Adelaide Park Lands Recycled Water Project, providing up to 3.8 billion litres of recycled water for reuse. There was a federal funding commitment of $30.15 million for this project, as well. Recycled water is now flowing from the Glenelg to Adelaide Park Lands Recycled Water Project, with the project being complete more than four months ahead of schedule.

With the Rann Labor government heading the state, South Australia leads the nation in stormwater harvesting and reuse, and it will triple the state’s annual stormwater harvest from six billion litres to over 20 billion litres by 2013. The government has invested $45 million in new stormwater projects with a total value of $145 million, which will ensure South Australia exceeds its target of capturing 20 billion litres. The new stormwater projects include schemes at Cheltenham Park, Adelaide Airport and the botanic gardens. The state government has committed $45 million to these new stormwater projects, with the federal government committing $65 million. In July 2009 the government released the Water for Good plan, which contained 94 actions to help diversify our water supplies, reduce our reliance on the Murray and guarantee South Australia’s future water security to 2050 and beyond. Under the Rann Labor government more than half of the actions in Water for Good are now underway or have been completed.

But the value and benefits of having a Labor government in South Australia do not end there. We now have more than 4,300 full-time equivalent police officers in South Australia—600 more than when the Labor government took office. Recruiting is continuing, with a further 106 cadets in training. By June 2010 police numbers will reach a record high of 4,400 officers. Under the Labor government the crime rate has been reduced by 32.7 per cent since 2002. The Rann government increased the South Australia Police operating budget to $661 million in 2009-10—an increase of 79 per cent since the previous Labor government’s last budget. The Labor government has opened new police stations at Blakeview, Newton, Hallett Cove and Golden Grove, and it is constructing a new $59 million state-of-the-art police academy at Fort Largs. In addition, the government has provided $5.9 million for a new state-of-the-art IT system to assist police in cracking down on bikie gangs and it has doubled the strength of the Crime Gangs Task Force to 44 officers. The government has created the position of Commissioner for Victims’ Rights and appointed the first such commissioner in Australia.

Time is running out and there is so much more to say about the achievements of the Labor government in South Australia. It has introduced free metropolitan public transport for all seniors card holders during off-peak periods and it has negotiated an increase of $35 million in Home and Community Care funding for 100 senior South Australians. It has nearly doubled funding to disability services since being elected, from $123 million in 2002 to more than $230 million in 2007-08. Following a major review it overhauled child protection during its first term of government, with a $144.4 million investment over four years. And it has injected an investment of more than $190 million—the state’s largest ever—into alternative care and child protection. It has commissioned the Mullighan inquiries into sexual abuse of children on the APY Lands, and former wards of the state, to ensure that the mistakes of the past are never repeated.

It has created a Veterans’ Advisory Council to provide government with advice on key issues for veterans in our community. The government has spent $2 billion on health services—93 per cent more than in 2001-02, the last year of the former Liberal government. It has appointed 1,074 additional doctors and 3,692 additional nurses. There are now nearly 50 per cent more doctors and 33 per cent more— (Time expired)