Market research of 1500 injured workers had given another massive “thumbs down” for the performance of WorkCover and its claims manager, Employers Mutual Limited. “Research conducted by McGregor Tan Research for the WorkCover Board has shown a further significant reduction in performance satisfaction levels,” Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Rob Lucas said today. “The trend…
DetailsSenior Rann Government Minister Paul Holloway yesterday misled Parliament by denying he had planned a trip to Europe supposedly for urban development purposes. “The joke is clearly on Mr Holloway who has misled Parliament by denying he had planned a trip to Europe to look at urban design initiatives,” Shadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:50): Members will be aware that Mr Lance Worrell was a long-term economics and political adviser to the Premier. Members will probably recall that the thesis for his original degree at the University of Adelaide Department of Politics went under the title ‘Marxist Theory and the State’. In the middle of…
DetailsShadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas today called on Premier Rann to introduce new controls of accountability on Ministers’ spending on overseas travel. “As a first step Ministers should be required to provide details of total costs, purpose and results of each overseas trip on the government website,” Mr Lucas said. “It’s ironic that Mr…
DetailsThe Rann Government will be abolishing the controversial Public Sector Performance Commission before the end of the year. “Senior government sources have told the Liberal Party that the decision had been taken to abolish the PSPC after two years of criticism about its lack of value and performance,” Shadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (16:47): I rise to support the second reading of the Supply Bill debate and, perhaps unsurprisingly, will devote my brief time this afternoon to an important part of public expenditure within the state of South Australia at the moment, an increasingly important part—the amount of money being spent on the Adelaide…
DetailsTreasurer Kevin Foley had been told in April this year that the total cost of the Adelaide Oval redevelopment project outlined in December 2009 was now $701 million. Leigh Whicker, CEO of the SMA, told the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee that the $701 million cost still did not include costs for another 900…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:30): I rise to support the motion. My first vague recollections of Mr Allan Rodda was as a younger person in Mount Gambier. Having been raised in Mount Gambier it was always strange—and it must have been the late 1960s, early 1970s—that we had a member for Victoria in South Australia.…
DetailsThe key health bureaucrat in the Royal Adelaide Hospital project had been allowed to go on holiday during a critical period in the evaluation process. “On 20 May this year, the two final bids for the RAH PPP were lodged and for the last 23 days all the key health and treasury officers have been…
DetailsThe Legislative Council’s Budget and Finance Committee had resolved to launch an immediate inquiry into the Adelaide Oval redevelopment fiasco. “At its meeting yesterday, the Committee resolved to call a series of witnesses including SMA CEO Leigh Whicker, SMA Chairman Ian McLachlan, Steering Committee Chairman Bruce Carter, and Steering Committee members/advisers Rod Hook, Bob Boorman…
DetailsA confidential finance industry publication had claimed the cost of the Royal Adelaide Hospital project had blown out to $3 billion. “After Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond yesterday indicated the cost of the $1.7 billion RAH project had blown out by “hundreds of millions of dollars”, finance industry sources provided the Liberal Party with a document…
DetailsThe cost of the Adelaide Oval project had now blown out from $450 million to almost $700 million. “Information on the $250 million blowout has been provided to the Liberal Party by sources with an intimate knowledge of the detailed workings of the new Stadium Management Authority (SMA) and its two working parties,” Shadow Minister…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (16:36): I move: 1. That a committee to be called the Budget and Finance Committee be appointed to monitor and scrutinise all matters relating to the state budget and the financial administration of the state. 2. That the standing orders of the Legislative Council in relation to select committees be applied…
DetailsI rise to speak about ongoing instability and factionalism within the Labor Party. At the start of each parliament, the Leader of the Government engages in a series of discussions with the members of the Legislative Council about matters of mutual interest, committees and committee processes, standing orders, etc. On most occasions, the Leader of…
DetailsThe State Liberals will move to re-establish an important Parliamentary Committee, after a five month hiatus. “Today the State Liberals will move a motion in Parliament seeking to re-establish the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee,” Shadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said today. “Evidence presented to the Budget and Finance Committee over the last…
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