Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today Treasurer Koutsantonis had been caught out in a series of embarrassing blunders trying to defend his self-proclaimed ‘God’s Work’ budget. Today Mr Koutsantonis claimed his supposed jobs budget last year had created 6000 new FULL TIME jobs. However the independent ABS (Publication 6202.0 – Labour Force, Australia, Table 7)…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas today accused the Weatherill Government of financial mismanagement and incompetence which led to SA missing out on an estimated $300-375m from the Federal Government’s Asset Recycle Bonus Fund. The Asset Recycle Bonus Fund paid a 15% bonus to the states for approved privatisations which were then spent on eligible new infrastructure…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today one major factor in South Australia having the worst unemployment rate in the nation had been a “litany of disasters” in Weatherill Government job programs. “The sad reality for unemployed South Australians is the Weatherill Government seems more intent on political spin and the publicity value of announcing new…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas today accused the Weatherill Government of an “obscene waste of money” after it was revealed they were spending $13.6 million on public servants to distribute $15 million in grants to businesses. Evidence to the Budget and Finance Committee this week has revealed the Weatherill Government is spending $4.9 million this year…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today the Weatherill Government had been ‘slack, lazy and incompetent’ in implementing major components of the $24 million Northern Economic Plan. Having launched the Northern Economic Plan in a blaze of publicity in January the Weatherill Government still hasn’t finalised guidelines for the $10 million Small Business Development Fund or…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today that the Federal Budget included massive increases in Federal funding to South Australia next year and each year of the forward estimates. Total Federal payments to SA next year will actually be $1,137 million more than this year and by 2018-19 total payments will be $1,756 million more than…
The State Liberals are calling on the Weatherill Government to restore the concession on the Emergency Services Levy (ESL) and abandon plans to jack-up payroll tax in the forthcoming state budget. “The Federal Budget’s tax cut for small business and the surge in federal revenue into South Australia have created a golden opportunity to…
SA Unions Secretary Joe Szakacs’ appointment to the Return to Work Board is yet another example of “jobs for the boys” under the Weatherill Labor Government, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today. Announced yesterday in the Government Gazette, Mr Lucas said the appointment to a $55,000 position also showed the Weatherill Government had been dishonest…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today the Weatherill Government had broken its promise to regularly publish online the expenditure of State Government Ministers and their staff. In September 2013 Mr Weatherill announced “Public Disclosure” on departmental websites for credit card, overseas travel and mobile phone costs would increase accountability in public officials: “Governments should be…
The State Liberals are demanding the Weatherill Government explain why it isn’t seeking substantial financial penalties from the nRAH builders as result of repeated delays and budget blow-outs in the project. “The nRAH is now more than $600 million over budget and likely to be a year overdue yet the Weatherill Government is merely asking…