Premier Steven Marshall warns Upper House to back reform agenda

STEVEN Marshall has called on the new Upper House to respect the reform “mandate” delivered to the Liberals and pass controversial elements of his agenda including expanded shop trading hours and caps on council rate rises.

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PREMIER-elect Steven Marshall has called on the new Upper House to respect the reform “mandate” delivered to his party at the ballot box and pass controversial elements of his agenda including expanded shop trading hours and putting caps on council rate rises.

Speaking to The Advertiser just hours after securing a conclusive election win and with the Liberals’ transition-to-government machine in full swing, Mr Marshall said his ambition for SA over the next four years was for it to regain lost pride after becoming the butt of national jokes.

Mr Marshall will on Monday be officially sworn in along with new deputy premier Vickie Chapman and treasurer Rob Lucas. The full 14-person Cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Thursday, and Mr Marshall says it will include only a few tweaks from the frontbench team he took to the election.

Cabinet is expected to meet for the first time next week.

He expects to push the State Budget back from June to about September, common after elections, allowing time for detailed policy formation.

The public service also is set for a shake-up as Mr Marshall rearranges State Government departments to end a system where chief executives report to several ministers. He said it was likely to be supported by public servants who wanted a “more rational” system of having a direct reporting system of one minister per department.

Counting is still underway for the Upper House, but it appears the Liberals will require a combination of crossbenchers that includes two SA Best MPs to pass contentious legislation.

Premier Steven Marshall with new members of his team including Matthew Cowdrey and Paula Luethen at Henley Beach. Picture: AAP / Tracey Nearmy

SA Best opposed both extended shop trading hours and council rate capping during the election campaign.

Mr Marshall said the Liberals won an election in which SA voted for a change agenda.

“We couldn’t have been clearer about our agenda for economic reform,” he said.

“We now want to work with the Legislative Council to pass that agenda, and as quickly as possible so that it can deliver benefits for everyone in SA.

“Seventy-five per cent of South Australians want extended shopping hours.

“It would be a bold Legislative Council who wanted to go against the newly elected government, and the wishes of the people. The Labor Party can’t even sensibly argue against it when they’ve allowed full deregulation in country SA.”

The Liberals moved to block Labor’s proposed state bank tax in the Upper House with the support of crossbenchers and stopped a city car parking levy, contravening a longstanding convention of rubberstamping money Bills.

Mr Marshall said the economic turnaround witnessed in New Zealand, a small country with a strong agricultural base, was a model for what he hoped to achieve in SA.

“I think we will be a state with a lot more confidence and pride,” Mr Marshall said. “I think we will be a state which is growing, in terms of economic activity and jobs, but in particular young people staying with a much brighter future.

“New Zealand is one of the best examples of a western democracy recovery plan of the past two decades.”

The Liberals will have a “focus” ministry of exports in a bid to follow New Zealand’s dramatic increase of inbound capital and investment.

Liberal premier Steven Marshall after his victory. Picture: James Elsby

“They really did also engage with their public service to drive a reform agenda focusing on improved customer service and outcomes in a constrained fiscal environment,” Mr Marshall said.

He said he would also move to cut all waste in government and decisions to reduce ministerial staff and ban boozy lunches on the taxpayer credit card would impose strong internal discipline.

“I just don’t believe in spurious government advertising programs and massive ministerial staff,” he said. “I just think it’s totally out of kilter with public expectations.”

He said crucial turning points in the campaign were his refusal to do deals to form government and SA Best leader Nick Xenophon’s slip-ups on policy detail, especially health.