The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:30): The past two weeks in South Australian politics have been dominated by the events surrounding Premier Mike Rann and his alleged assault two weeks ago. My experience with these types of issues in the past is that generally it is not the issue itself that causes the most grief: it…
DetailsEvidence given to a Parliamentary Committee revealed there had been a massive $120 million blowout in the Health Department’s annual budget. Dr Tony Sherbon, Health Department CEO, revealed to the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee that budget overspends for 2008-09 totalled $120 million. “Unfortunately for South Australian taxpayers, the Rann Government’s Health Department has…
DetailsPremier Mike Rann must introduce new controls of accountability on Ministers’ extravagant spending on overseas and interstate travel and entertainment. “As a first step Ministers should be required to provide details of total costs, purpose and results of each overseas and certain interstate trips on the government website,” Shadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said…
DetailsExtravagant and unreasonable travel and entertainment expenses by Rann Government Ministers showed how arrogant and out of touch Premier Rann and Treasurer Foley had become. “At a time when public servants’ wage rises are being restricted to 2.5 per cent and services and programmes are being cut across the board, how can Mr Rann and…
DetailsDocuments released under Freedom of Information had revealed some Rann Government Ministers had been making unreasonable and extravagant claims at taxpayers’ expense. For example, these documents of expenses paid for by Ministerial credit cards show Treasurer Kevin Foley made the following claims for meals and late night (and early morning) drinking sessions in South Australia,…
DetailsIt was hard to believe claims by some Rann Government Ministers that there were no records of guests they took at taxpayers’ expense to the Government Corporate Box at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. “Documents released under Freedom of Information (see attached) showed Minister Pat Conlon and then Minister Steph Key invited guests to a performance…
DetailsPremier Mike Rann had again changed his defence in the debate over conflict of interest allegations against him. In a statement released late last week, Mr Rann now says the Deputy Crown Solicitor had previously advised that the simple fact that an organisation was located in a Minister’s electorate does not give rise to a…
DetailsPremier Mike Rann had condemned himself by his own words in the debate over conflict of interest allegations against him, Shadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said today. “Yesterday, in an attempted defence over conflict of interest allegations about a $50,000 grant to the Port Power Football Club, Mr Rann told The Australian: “If it…
DetailsRemuneration for some key Rann Government Boards and Committees had in the last 12 months exploded by as much as 200 per cent. “At a time when Mr Rann is asking public servants to restrict wage increases to 2.5 per cent per annum, it demonstrates how out of touch Mr Rann and his Government are…
DetailsShadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said today that recent estimates of the total cost of government advertising “significantly underestimated” the real total cost of government advertising to taxpayers. Evidence given today to a Legislative Council Select Committee by senior Health Department officers confirmed that the Rann Government had allocated $2.2 million for an advertising…
DetailsThe Rann Government was paying former Adelaide 36ers boss Mal Hemmerling about $1000 per day for a job even though there was no valid current contract for his job. Evidence to the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee by Ian Nightingale, CEO of the Department for Planning and Local Government, confirmed that Mr Hemmerling had…
DetailsThe Hon. R.I. LUCAS (16:11): When the Premier returned recently from his 23rd overseas trip he lodged FOI applications for the water contract of the former government and the contracts in relation to the electricity privatisation as well and indicated that from his viewpoint privatisation would be a major issue at the next election. I…
DetailsContrary to the chest beating last week – and over the last 10 years – by Premier Mike Rann and Treasurer Kevin Foley over the supposed evils of the SA Water “privatisation” contract, the Rann Government had already taken the secret decision to continue the “privatisation” if re-elected in March 2010. “Prior to the 2002…
DetailsThe CEO of the Department for Education and Children’s Services had confirmed the Rann Government was implementing “budget savings” of $120 million over the budget forward estimates period. “Mr Chris Robinson told the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee that savings required this year were $10 million, increasing to annual savings of $49 million in…
DetailsEvidence today from officers of the National Audit Office to a Parliamentary Committee had confirmed that many of Mr Rann’s controversial government advertising campaigns would be banned if federal guidelines were applied. Mr Robert Holbert and Mr Michael White, from the National Audit Office, today gave evidence to the Legislative Council Select Committee on Government…
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