SA Election 2022: What’s been announced, Week 2 | Labor pledges $3m for live music sector

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas has promised a $3.25m funding package aimed at reinvigorating the ailing live music industry, while Premier Steven Marshall has announced $4m for defence.

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FRIDAY MARCH 4

Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas has promised to “get the band back together” with a $3.25m package aimed at reinvigorating South Australia’s live music industry.

Five thousand $400 vouchers would be on offer to pubs, clubs and bars to help cover the costs of hiring live musicians under the scheme, which would also deliver 100 $5000 grants for medium scale music events, 25 grants of up to $20,000 larger events and five grants of up to $50,000 for music festivals.

A package aimed at bringing live music back to the Royal Show, and insurance scheme for promoters and event organisers and mental health funding worth a quarter of a million dollars were also announced.

Promoter Rob Pippan, who has spearheaded a long campaign to secure support for an industry he said has borne the full brunt of Covid restrictions, said he felt like the live sector was finally being listened to.

Adelaide musician and promoter Rob Pippan.

“This is the first time in the past two years that we feel like someone is trying to make a difference for us,” Mr Pippan said.

“It’s been baffling to us that, after repeated attempts, the Premier wouldn’t meet with us to discuss these matters.”

Mr Pippan said he thought the package would have an immediate impact on the live sector, which employs more than 4500 South Australians.

“This is exactly what we need right now, a huge shot in the arm for the entertainment industry. They’ve listened to our suggestions and put them on paper, so I’m really pleased.”

Mr Malinauskas said Adelaide had a long and storeyed history as a home of live music, and he’d like to see the city reclaim that title.

“We all know that the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on a few industries within our state … and live music and the arts more generally has been one of those,” he said.

“As we approach the end of the pandemic era it is absolutely essential that we provide support to those industries that have done it tough, those who have made the big sacrifices. We have a commitment to get live music back on its feet.”

Meanwhile, Steven Marshall has announced a further $4m investment in defence for South Australia.

He plans to set up a $1m submarine task force “that will mirror the national task force”.

“Our goal … is to maximise the South Australian content on the new fleet of new nuclear powered submarines,” he said.

A further $3m will go towards “micro-credentialing”, an effort Mr Marshall said would “lift our skills here in South Australia”.

“We know many people in this sector have good skills, but the skills of tomorrow are constantly changing.

“People might need to upgrade to get better cybersecurity skills or nuclear engineering skills,” said Mr Marshall.

He said the new nuclear-powered submarines would provide about 5000 jobs for South Australians over the life of the project.

LABOR CLEARS UP STANCE ON FRACKING BAN

Labor has clarified its support for a fracking mining ban in the South-East after “secret” audio emerged attacking the current moratorium in a speech to the mining industry.

Both Labor and Liberal have pledged to continue a 10- year 2018 moratorium on the controversial technique.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas was forced to spell out his position when The Border Watch revealed a covertly taped speech in which he attacked the suspension.

Addressing a South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy function in Adelaide, Mr Malinauskas criticised the government for restricting mining activities.

“What I say to you is – name me the only government in South Australia that has introduced a moratorium in terms of the mining industry – there is only one and it ain’t the Labor Party,” he said.

“In 16 years we were in government, not once was there a moratorium introduced but the conservative side of politics under Steven Marshall’s leadership did that – consciously and willingly.”

In a statement released on Friday, Mr Malinauskas said: “Labor has listened to the local community and will uphold the law as passed by parliament.

“Labor will not make any changes to the moratorium. Labor has been critical of the Marshall Liberal Government’s handling of the matter.”

An opposition spokesman said that both the audio and public media statements were consistent.

“He is criticising the government’s handling of the matter (in 2018),” the spokesman said.

“It (the moratorium) has been legislated and we will not be introducing legislative changes to change that.

But Premier Steven Marshall said: “The only way to guarantee that the moratorium on fracking will remain in place until at least November 2028 is to vote Liberal at the coming election.”

In the South-East, gas was to be extracted using the hydraulic fracturing technique which splits underground rock to release the product.

But the technique is blamed for contaminating water aquifers and is extremely unpopular within South-East communities.

And paramedics have been temporarily banned from writing “pro-Labor” protest messages on their ambulances.

The South Australian Employment Tribunal has ordered the Ambulance Employees Association to stop all industrial action including the chalking of taxpayer-funded ambulances.

Paramedics must also resume billing patients for call-outs and must stop wearing union T-shirts while on duty, in an interim decision handed down on Thursday and to remain in force for a week.

The state Treasury and Finance Department took the union to the tribunal seeking an end to the industrial action.

The union has been waging a public campaign over lack of resources and ramping, which it says has contributed to patients dying while waiting for help. Association secretary Leah Watkins called on the public to chalk their own cars in solidarity.

Treasurer Rob Lucas said: “This should send a very strong message to the ambulance union that waging a pro-Labor political campaign involving the repeated defacing of public property is completely inappropriate and offensive.” - Miles Kemp

THURSDAY MARCH 3

Labor has pledged a $10m fund for grants for local manufacturing.

Speaking at Mawson Lakes clothing manufacturer, Belgravia Apparel, on Thursday morning, Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said South Australia has a history of being a manufacturing hub.

He wants to capitalise on that, “as we see significant brands and significant companies continue to onshore their local production.”

Mr Malinauskas said applications to the Manufacturing Grants Program will be “independently” assessed.

“This is $10m on top of the jobs and growth fund that currently exist within the budget,” he said.

“In an increasingly competitive national and international market, it’s important we support local manufacturers to grow,” he said, adding that 67,000 people presently work in manufacturing in SA.

Small businesses will receive a funding boost if the Marshall government is re-elected, with a $20m package announced by the Premier today.

Speaking at the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre at Lot Fourteen, the Premier said the launch of a “one-stop shop” digital portal for businesses to access state government services including completing transactions online, including applying for grants and paying fines.

There will also be $2.3m allocated to help businesses prevent cyber attacks.

“There is not a day that goes by now where a small business is not subject to an attack on their data,” Mr Marshall said.

The government will also employ Small Business Support Advisers at the Modbury and Prospect Service SA centres, as well as one regional location.

When asked if he fancied himself as future Treasurer, Mr Marshall said an announcement about the soon-to-be vacant position would be made after the election but denied that he would take the spot himself.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 2

More than $8m will be invested into the trades sector under a Labor pledge that Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said would address “the state’s skills shortage.”

Labor will invest $8.7m to produced specific apprenticeships and courses, designed in conjunction with TAFE SA and CITB.

A further, $1m investment in the master builders outreach program will seek to increase the amount of students pursuing trades, especially indigenous and female apprentices.

Mr Malinauskas said the program “will get out into schools, and educate people first hand about the value of picking up a trade”.

“We have young people who want to work, and employers who want skilled young workers.

“If we encourage young people to participate in a trade. That is all about skilling up our state for the future.”

TUESDAY MARCH 1

Attracting major sports and arts events to South Australia is key to restoring tourism after the pandemic, according to the South Australian Labor Party.

On the campaign trail Tuesday, Labor leader Peter Malinauskas pledged $40m towards a plan to host events that would attract international and interstate visitors to the state.

International football fixtures, Rugby World Cup Finals and major art exhibitions are among some of the targets.

The pledge comes despite Labor’s firm stance against the Liberal Party’s plan to build a brand new $662m basketball stadium.

A further $20m will be invested in tourism marketing to help the state compete with other markets across the nation.

The state government has made a $39m funding pledge to allow 20 schools to send their ageing transportable classrooms to the scrap heap, in favour of new modular buildings.

The Liberals say if they are re-elected, they will swap the buildings over the next four years as part of a plan to eventually rid all state schools of transportables.

It has not quantified how long that would take, nor how many schools still have transportables across the state.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 28

Adelaide could tap into more than $300m a year, linked directly to 320,000 hotel bed nights, if the Liberals’ $662m Riverbank Arena goes ahead, new analysis reveals.

Analysis by Adelaide Venue Management shows the city is missing out on more than 80 national and international conventions and business events, each with between 3500 and 10,000 delegates, because it does not have a facility able to cater for them.

Premier Steven Marshall said the $300m figure was “conservative” and it did not include the additional cash injection expected from visitors spending money at local businesses.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 27

Five South Australian reservoirs will undergo $12m worth of upgrades to open up more activities and improve the visitor experience, under a re-elected Liberal state government. Happy Valley, Myponga, Mt Bold, Hope Valley and Betaloo will get facilities like carparking, extra toilets, and walking trails.

Labor has promised to fix the ambulance ramping crisis with 350 more paramedics and ambulance offers over four years, at a cost of $107.8m.