An inquiry into the Royal Adelaide Hospital project by the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee has been confirmed for next month. Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said representatives of the private sector project team and Health Department bureaucrats will be required to attend the hearing on October 8. “This committee inquiry has been necessitated…
DetailsMassive WorkCover levy increases on aged care providers in South Australia are a disgrace, according to Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas. Mr Lucas said the Liberal Party was deeply concerned by the feedback it had received from aged care providers right across the state, including: • LHI Retirement Services, located at Glynde, which advised their…
DetailsIndustrial Relations Minister Russell Wortley has embarrassed himself by claiming hotel ‘drive-throughs’ were dangerous for drivers and staff. In May this year Minister Wortley responded to a statement by Australian Hotels’ Association President Peter Hurley that SafeWork SA staff had told him his drive-through bottle shop staff had to wear high-visibility vests at work. In…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:41): I am going to talk about government waste by Premier Weatherill in his own department. I will give a small example firstly and then a more significant one. A small example brought to my attention by officers within his own department is a decision that he and his chief executive…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (17:23): I move: That this council: 1. n otes general community concern regarding the Electricity Industry Superannuation Scheme (EISS) and the set of documents providing the basis of that concern provided to members of parliament by the organisation SA Superannuants and Mr Richard Vear, a pensioner of EISS; 2. r efers…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (17:53): I move an amendment to that motion: That the Hon. J.A. Darley be substituted for the Hon. T. A. Franks. As I have explained to the Hon. Ms Franks, and I explain now to members in this chamber, the century-long convention or tradition of this particular chamber is that, going…
DetailsThe Weatherill Labor Government is wasting millions of dollars on end of financial year spending binges by Ministers and Department Chief Executives, Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said today. “Evidence provided to the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee shows some Departments are spending up to 54 per cent of their total capital works budget…
DetailsDepartment for Communities and Social Inclusion employees are still owed more than $2 million, 15 months after the Auditor-General identified the problem. Audit staff raised concerns in April 2011 about errors in rostered staff leave records. Departmental officers advised audit staff that errors had occurred ‘over many years’ in leave loading payments, which were estimated…
DetailsMinister Paul Caica must clarify statements made by DEWNR Chief Executive Allan Holmes on the ‘Cartridgegate’ scandal. “At this week’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting, Mr Holmes confirmed he told the media in March he had moved an officer out of Minister Caica’s office prior to allegations of ‘Cartridgegate’ abuses being raised in the Budget…
DetailsPremier Weatherill’s review into “Mad March” events has been a “rank amateurish” process which has insulted and angered a key stakeholder. “Mr Weatherill appointed his own “internal consultant” Warren McCann to conduct the review, which recommended moving the V8 race forward to February and the June public holiday to May for a rescheduled Adelaide Cup,”…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:30): I support the second reading of the Appropriation Bill. In so doing, I indicate that I made some comprehensive remarks during the debate on the Supply Bill not too long ago about the state’s financial and budgetary position, and I do not propose in the Appropriation Bill to repeat all…
DetailsShadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas is calling for Minister Wortley to review urgently the tendering process which led to the Labor Government giving one company, Maxxia, a monopoly contract for salary sacrifice arrangements to all public servants. Earlier this month the Queensland Government revealed Remserv, one of two salary sacrifice providers in that state, had…
DetailsIndustrial Relations Minister Russell Wortley today refused to answer critical questions in Parliament by the Hon Rob Lucas MLC about the validity of charges laid against Ferro Con (SA) Pty Ltd. Ferro Con (SA) Pty Ltd was the crane company involved in an incident at the Adelaide Desalination Plant which led to the death of…
DetailsThe number of Ministerial staff and spin doctors in the Weatherill Government is far greater than the 107 published in this week’s Government Gazette, Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said today. The true figure (including media monitoring staff) is 273, according to a leaked copy of the Government’s confidential Ministerial staff directory for December 2011.…
DetailsFormer Department of Premier and Cabinet Deputy Chief Executive Pauline Peel’s termination will cost taxpayers between $300,000 and $400,000. Evidence to the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee today revealed Ms Peel was entitled to a three or four month payout for early termination and then another three or four month payout for every unexpired…
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