Steven Marshall: Reignite our economy before it’s too late
I AM convinced Jay Weatherill doesn’t want to be Premier. If he did, he would put some effort into making changes instead of being a commentator and blaming others for what’s happening in SA. VOTE NOW
I AM convinced Jay Weatherill doesn’t want to be Premier. If he did, he would put some effort into making changes instead of being a commentator and blaming others for what’s happening in SA.
Five years ago Mr Weatherill and his Labor colleagues promised they would create thousands of jobs, lift the standard of political debate and make South Australia an attractive place to live and invest.
Since that time 12,000 full-time jobs have disappeared, Mr Weatherill’s right-hand man Tom Koutsantonis has continued to make false smears and treats the Parliament like a schoolyard, and young South Australians have left our state by the thousands.
Mr Weatherill’s five years as Premier have sent South Australia backwards. He can’t even keep the lights on.
His mismanagement of the new RAH has seen it become the most expensive hospital in the world. It’s already $640 million over budget and we still don’t know when it will open! And let’s not forget his Transforming Health agenda, which is just about cutting services.
His experiment to merge child protection with education has also been a disaster. Justice Nyland recommended this experiment be terminated, but we still don’t have a separate child protection agency months later.
There are also 12,500 more South Australians looking for a job than when Mr Weatherill became Premier.
Young South Australians should not have to look for opportunities elsewhere. I support people looking at what the world has to offer, but I want them to have the choice to stay and work or come back. One of the key reasons they are leaving is our low job creation.
Jay Weatherill’s stifling regulation and crippling state taxes have crushed investment opportunities and seen major employers downsize or abandon expansion plans.
We haven’t seen one of the 6000 promised oil and gas jobs at Gillman, the Olympic Dam expansion hasn’t happened and this month the state lost out on $1.6 billion as BP withdrew its investment plan.
I want to be Premier so that I can make decisions to reignite our economy. My team has a plan to cut the cost of living in SA by providing $360 million of state tax relief and capping council rate rises. I want you to be able to save more of the money you earn instead of handing it over to the Government.
We will provide certainty to investors. We will ensure health services are available where people live. We will modernise our education system. We will create jobs.
Two years ago Mr Weatherill said he would take action that would make us gasp.
All we have seen is the Weatherill Labor Government gasping for air.
Steven Marshall is Leader of the State Opposition