Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today that massive increases in land tax in recent years were a major reason for Adelaide’s current rental housing crisis. Over recent months the rental housing market in Adelaide has tightened considerably with official figures now showing rents soaring and vacancy rates the lowest since data collection commenced three years…
DetailsCommonwealth Government economic forecasts show a slowing of the nation’s economic growth at a time when South Australia’s economy has almost stopped. The Commonwealth Government today released its Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) which showed that national economic growth this year will be 2.5 per cent down from the budget forecast of 3.25…
DetailsAn increasingly arrogant Rann Government is snubbing its nose at Parliamentary accountability by refusing to answer hundreds of questions on notice in the Parliament. Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today that some of the questions had been unanswered for periods of up to four years and, to mark the occasion, Premier Rann would be receiving…
DetailsThe Mid Year Budget Review has revealed that budget costs are blowing out at the rate of $4 million per day. Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said it was extraordinary that in less than two months since the State Budget total costs have blown out by about $220 million. “This is further evidence of a Government…
DetailsShadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today that the retirement of Auditor-General Ken MacPherson in two months (February 2007) time should see the end of the escalating dispute with the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Rann Government has decided not to proceed with legislation to extend Mr MacPherson’s time by five years because it knows the…
DetailsShadow Treasurer Rob Lucas has today criticised Premier Rann for wanting to rush four new bills through both Houses of Parliament in the last three sitting days whilst at the same time he has decided not to allow Parliament to sit for an optional extra week before Christmas. Mr. Lucas said that, in addition to…
DetailsThe Rann Government has refused to release almost 100 documents relating to the payout of more than $400,000 to Mister Rann’s former senior political ‘spin doctor,’ Randall Ashbourne, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today. Mr. Ashbourne was one of the central figures with Attorney General Michael Atkinson in the Atkinson/Ashbourne/Clarke scandal which is still being…
DetailsPolice Minister Holloway has failed to introduce into Parliament a critical new drug law to allow drug sniffer dogs to do the job for which they had been trained, Shadow Police Minister Rob Lucas said today. “Five weeks ago, Mr Holloway was warned again that legislation needed to be introduced urgently to give police additional…
DetailsShadow Police Minister Rob Lucas has today condemned the Rann Government for the appalling treatment of an intellectually disabled man at Yatala Prison. The Liberal Party has received a copy of a letter of complaint from a family member to the Police Complaints Authority, which also raises disturbing allegations against some Correctional Services staff. “‘Jack,’…
DetailsThe Rann Government has breached its own contract disclosure policy and commitments made in Parliament by not releasing a copy of the Government’s first Public Private Partnerships (PPP) contract, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today. “In May 2005, the Rann Government entered into a contract with Plenary Justice to deliver a number of regional police…
DetailsShadow Police Minister Rob Lucas has today offered cautious support for a Rann Government proposal to use private security guards to help protect the state against terrorist attacks. “However, whilst we can see the potential advantages of this proposal, there are a number of serious issues that would need to be resolved before it should…
DetailsThe Australian Bureau of Statistics had released official economic growth figures showing South Australia has the second slowest growing economy in the nation, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today. Economic growth in SA last year was only 2.2 per cent, which was worse than all other states and territories with the exception of New South…
DetailsThe Minister for Industry and Trade, Mr. Foley, had continued to ignore warnings from the Auditor General about significant accounting control deficiencies in his Department, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today. This year’s Auditor General’s Report states: “…Staff who processed expenditure transactions on behalf of the Department did not have a signature register to verify…
DetailsA key industry group has given evidence to a Parliamentary committee that some investors were not investing in South Australia due, in part, to the high level of property taxes in SA, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today. The Property Council gave evidence to the Legislative Council Select Committee on property taxes and stated: “As…
DetailsMinister for Health John Hill stood condemned for a financial scandal identified in the Auditor-General’s Report in which most of the decisions taken last year in the $2.5 billion Health Department were made without appropriate approval authority, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today. “The Auditor-General’s Report this year highlighted that Treasurer’s Instructions had been breached…
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