Former leadership aspirant Kevin Foley has sent a warning to Premier-in-waiting Jay Weatherill, fuelling Labor’s disunity. “Mr Foley obviously has no confidence in Labor’s anointed Premier-in-waiting Jay Weatherill,” Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said today. “If Mr Weatherill’s own colleagues have no trust in him, why should South Australians trust Mr Weatherill to govern the…
DetailsThe Labor Government is considering options for increasing ticket prices for concerts to help pay for public transport services, evidence to the Budget and Finance Committee revealed today. The Big Day Out, other similar music festivals and concerts for artists such as AC/DC, Pink, Lady Gaga and Andre Rieu could all be affected. Transport Chief…
DetailsThe Labor Government has secretly broken a key election promise by removing the $75 million Darlington interchange from the Southern Expressway duplication contract tender. The $445 million Southern Expressway project, including the $75 million interchange, was promised to southern suburbs residents just before the March 2010 election . The interchange was to provide an overpass…
DetailsEducation Department executives have confirmed backlog maintenance in government schools was a massive $172 million as at the end of last month. Chief Executive Keith Bartley told the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee there had only been an improvement of about $18 million from the 2010 backlog maintenance figure of $190 million. “Education Minister…
DetailsEvidence to the Budget and Finance Committee this week has confirmed the Department of Health and its budget are in total disarray. Under Treasurer Brett Rowse confirmed May budget figures showed the health budget had blown out by $88 million and the Labor Government had now appointed both Deloitte and Ernst and Young to help…
DetailsSouth Australia has the most restrictive retail trading hours in the nation, according to a Productivity Commission report released today. The report, Economic Structure and Performance of the Australian Retail Industry, is a damning indictment of the Labor Government’s misguided policy. Particularly noteworthy is evidence from Coles that in 2010 South Australia had 10 non-trading…
DetailsIn a stunning admission, Treasury has confirmed it couldn’t show Shared Services was delivering payroll services cheaper than previously. The Executive Director of Shared Services SA, Damian Bourke, told the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee this week: Hon Rob Lucas MLC: In relation to the payroll function, are either you or the Under Treasurer…
DetailsThe South Australian Labor Government is lurching from crisis to crisis, ranging from embarrassing court cases to crippling leadership crises. Labor’s four point Crisis Plan is as follows: An unnamed Labor MP will face court this month on charges of child pornography This week the person who allegedly assaulted Police Minister Kevin Foley…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:47): I rise to support the second reading of the Appropriation Bill. In doing so I went back and looked at the contributions of all members to last year’s Appropriation Bill debate to see what, if anything, had changed in the last less than 12 months. Sadly I think the conclusion…
DetailsEmbattled Local Government Minister Russell Wortley was ordered to undergo urgent media training last week, Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas revealed today. “Government ministers and spin doctors were so concerned at Mr Wortley’s bumbling performance over the Burnside inquiry they decided urgent remedial action needed to be taken,” Mr Lucas said. “Leaked information from Government…
DetailsThe Lotteries Commission spent more than $300,000 just over two years ago on a secret report which considered privatisation options and a valuation of the agency, Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said today. “Industry sources have confirmed to the Liberal Party that as recently as 2008-09 the Lotteries Commission had commissioned ABN Amro (now RBS…
DetailsShadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said today SA Health executives had confirmed they had to implement annual savings of $396 million by 2014. SA Health CEO David Swan told the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee: Rob Lucas: “So in essence what you’re looking at is $396 million by the end of the forward…
DetailsA major brawl over the alignment of the proposed River Torrens Bridge is still unresolved, Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said today. “Even though the Labor Government made a major announcement on the $350 million Convention Centre project last week, there was no announcement on the alignment of the bridge,” Mr Lucas said. “The original…
DetailsPremier Mike Rann’s promised 15 per cent cut in ministerial office budgets is yet another example of blatant political spin, Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said today. Immediately after the budget, Mr Rann was in ‘full spin’ mode, claiming big cuts: Rann: “We’re actually I think taking a 15% hit on my budget in terms…
DetailsShadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas said today there had been a $68 million blowout in the implementation costs of the Shared Services Project and it was now an ‘unmitigated disaster’. In evidence to the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee Treasury officers Brett Rowse and Damian Bourke confirmed implementation costs were now $128 million and…
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