Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today significant doubts had emerged over the accuracy of claims made by Treasurer Foley over a key budget announcement of a shared services centre. The shared services centre was the centrepiece of the government’s proposed budget savings programme and is a proposal to centralize ‘back office’ functions such as payroll,…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today that incredible arrogance by Premier Rann and his Ministers had forced a major policy shift by the Liberal Party to increase the accountability of the Rann Government to the Parliament. Consistent with the practice in most other Upper Houses, some key Legislative Council Committees will no longer be chaired…
Police Minister Paul Holloway’s lack of action after being told of a secret listening device in Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) offices at Police Headquarters was negligent and unbelievable. Under questioning in Parliament today, Mr. Holloway conceded he had been told three weeks ago by the Police Association of concerns that there was a secret listening device…
Premier Rann must answer urgently what conditions were placed on any financial assistance package recently given to Holden. When the Rann Government recently announced that Holden had won a big new export order to sell Pontiacs in the United States, it was made clear that the State Government (together with Victorian and Federal Governments) had…
It is time for the Rann Government to change its current United Kingdom Bobby strategy. Given that South Australia now has the highest unemployment rate in the nation under Mr. Rann it is time for the Rann Government to concentrate more on attracting young South Australians into policing rather than just relying on overseas recruiting…
A clearly rattled Premier Rann is not telling the truth about Liberal Party policy on police numbers. Shadow Police Minister Rob Lucas said that Mr. Rann was on the defensive today when asked by journalists to respond to Liberal Leader Iain Evans’s tough new policy on bail laws. “Mr. Rann today made an outrageous claim…
Rann Government inaction means three specially trained drug detection dogs would not be able to do their job at the Big Day Out today. Shadow Police Minister Rob Lucas said three specially trained Labradors – Molly, Jane and Hooch – and their handlers are part of the Police Dog Operation Unit and were trained between…
South Australia Police has decided not to pursue criminal charges against former Justice Department Chief Executive Kate Lennon, causing a major embarrassment for Premier Rann and the hapless Attorney General Michael Atkinson in particular. Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today the Rann Government during 2005 made a series of accusations against Ms. Lennon, both inside…
The Liberal Party will today move to establish a powerful new Legislative Council Committee to monitor all budget related issues when Parliament resumes next month. Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said this new Budget Monitoring Committee will be modelled (albeit with some important differences) on the powerful Senate Estimates Committees which, for many years, has provided…
A rental crisis in South Australia is looming with some rental increases of up to 20 per cent likely with vacancy rates approaching zero. Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today that evidence presented by the Real Estate Institute (REI) to the Legislative Select Committee on Property Taxes painted a bleak picture of the rental market…