Financial markets are already charging higher interest rates on government debt consistent with a loss of South Australia’s AAA credit rating, Under Treasurer Brett Rowse confirmed today. Mr Rowse told the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee that, since late last year, financial markets had made decisions on the assumption South Australia’s AAA rating would…
Shadow Industrial Relations Minister Rob Lucas today condemned Industrial Relations Minister Russell Wortley for refusing to reveal how much a prominent unionist employed in his office was being paid. In February this year Mr Wortley employed Jimmy Watson, a high profile union organiser in the LHMU, as an industrial relations adviser in his office. “Taxypayers…
The Weatherill Labor Government has been embarrassed by a State Ombudsman decision demanding details of payments to a senior adviser be released. The Liberal Party submitted a Freedom of Information application in November last year relating to any taxpayer-funded payout of leave and other entitlements for Premier Weatherill’s Senior Adviser (and former Chief of Staff…
Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas today called on the Weatherill Government to clarify whether matters relating to the ‘Cartridgegate’ scandal were referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The call follows what appears to be contradictory evidence from DPP Stephen Pallaras and Police Commissioner Mal Hyde about widespread abuse relating to the purchases of printer…
Deputy Premier Rau’s promise today to remove 800 poker machines was first made eight years ago, Shadow Gambling Minister Rob Lucas said today. In February 2004 former Premier Rann introduced legislation to Parliament and promised he would remove 3000 machines, reducing numbers from 15,000 to 12,000: “Premier Rann is today taking the challenge up to…
Another blowout – this time $222 million – has taken WorkCover’s unfunded liability back over $1 billion. The latest actuarial figures to 31 December last year show the unfunded liability has exploded from $952 million to $1174 million in just six months. The unfunded liability was just $55 million in June 2001. The following table…
“Today’s Weatherill Labor Government deal with independents that will deliver permanent public holiday trading to Adelaide’s CBD is a bad one for the majority of the State,” Liberal Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Rob Lucas said. “This deal means new part-public holidays will be created between 7pm and midnight on Christmas Eve and New Year’s…
Premier Weatherill’s secret appointment of his own ‘internal consultant’ is wasting another $160,000 per year of taxpayers’ money. Commissioner for Public Sector Employment Warren McCann told the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee he had been appointed last October by Premier Weatherill as his own ‘internal consultant’. Mr McCann confirmed his total remuneration package is…
The Labor Government’s ‘Cartridgegate’ report has only revealed the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of widespread abuse relating to the purchases of printer cartridges and other products. “The Weatherill Labor Government is obviously hoping that this whole issue will just disappear now that the report has been released,” Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said. “However, a…
The Labor Government was first warned about potential printer cartridge rorting by the Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission on 21 April 2010, the contents of a leaked copy of a confidential report into ‘Cartridgegate’ reveal. Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said the Ernst and Young report, dated November 2011, was a damning indictment of…