SA Votes 2022: The 10 big issues that will shape the SA election
Both the Liberal and Labor parties are running out of time to win over voters. Let’s break down the big issues shaping this campaign, from health to regional promises.
State Election
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With South Australia heading to the polls on Saturday, the Liberals and Labor have spent weeks revealing major election promises in key areas.
So far, the Liberals have focused on pledges that will grow the economy as it recovers from Covid-19, while Labor has concentrated on health commitments to upgrade the hospital network and fix the ramping crisis.
The Sunday Mail has broken down the 10 issues that have shaped the campaign.
HEALTH
Health policy is widely viewed as the most significant point of difference between Labor and the Liberals, and the issue has been front and centre throughout the first two weeks of the campaign.
Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas has vowed to scrap his opponents’ planned $662m Riverbank Arena and instead divert that money to boosting the health system and fixing the state’s ramping crisis.
He has also committed to a $120m ambulance headquarters and employing 350 more paramedics, as well as 100 more doctors, 300 more nurses and adding 300 more beds to the hospital network.
Premier Steven Marshall has announced a re-elected Liberal government would invest $500m in health, however he later acknowledged some of the money already had been included in December’s mid-year budget review.
Among the new funding was a $123m commitment to upgrade four major metropolitan hospitals – the Repat, Lyell McEwin, Noarlunga and Modbury.
Who is winning: Labor
EDUCATION
Education is always a hot-button issue come election time as parties become keen to win over parents with promises to improve the opportunities and facilities available to their kids.
The Liberals have 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.
If 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.
They have also promised a $100 fee discount for eligible public school students, saving families $24m over the 2022 and 2023 school years.
Labor has pledged that universal, voluntary access to preschool for three-year-olds would be implemented in 2026.
It would establish a royal commission to overhaul the state’s early learning system and spend $175m to build five technical colleges.
Who is winning: Labor
ADELAIDE 500
The axing of the Adelaide 500 caused outrage among the state’s revheads, prompting protest rallies from those wanting the decision reversed.
Labor seized upon the momentum and pledged that, if elected, it would bring back the race, saying it had signed a deal with Supercars.
The opposition this month made a further announcement about the mooted event, saying it would return to Adelaide in December this year, under a Labor government.
The Liberal government in October 2020 scrapped the Adelaide 500 in response to recommendations from the South Australian Tourism Commission.
Falling crowds, rising costs and declining commercial interest, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, were cited as the reasons for the decision.
The 2020 race generated $38m in economic benefit, compared with $45.9m the previous year.
Instead, the government said it wanted to hold numerous, smaller events over the course of the year, rather than concentrating on Mad March.
It announced a program of events called Bloom, only a quarter of which were new events, while the remainder were annual occurrences, such as the Royal Adelaide Show.
Many events were cancelled due to Covid-19.
Who is winning: Labor
RIVERBANK ARENA
The Riverbank Arena, to be built between Adelaide’s railyards and the River Torrens, is the centrepiece of the Liberals’ re-election campaign.
The $662m, 15,000-seat multipurpose facility, which Labor cheekily refers to as the “basketball stadium”, would host sport, entertainment and convention events.
The business case for the project shows the arena would attract 825,000 visitors a year, create more than 4500 jobs during construction and add more than $1bn to the state’s economy.
Labor says it is a waste of money and health should be prioritised over a “basketball stadium”.
It has pledged to instead invest the $662m the Liberals have earmarked for the arena into health.
The opposition kicked off the election campaign proper by rolling out a series of health announcements, including more beds, doctors and nurses for hospitals, and has been at pains to tell people it can make these pledges because it will not go ahead with the stadium.
Who is winning: Labor
COVID-19 MANAGEMENT
There is no doubt the management of Covid-19 will play a huge part in how many people vote at this election.
All South Australians have been affected in some way by the virus, either by catching it, being a close contact, having to adhere to restrictions or being forced out of work.
For the most part, SA has fared well throughout the pandemic from a case-number perspective as the amount of people struck down remains significantly lower, and at many times non-existent, compared with the eastern states in particular.
The road got a little more bumpy for the Liberal government when SA’s domestic borders reopened in November and Omicron ran rampant for several weeks.
While case numbers have now stabilised, it stands to reason that those most severely affected by Covid-19 rules will keep the restrictions in mind when casting their vote.
Both the Liberal and Labor parties say they will continue to listen to the health advice when it comes to dealing with the pandemic.
Who is winning: Liberal
JOBS
Jobs are always at the heart of election campaigns. Parties try to win votes by spruiking how many jobs they will create with their election pledges.
However, not only will this election be about the jobs to be created, but also about those lost, particularly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Voters should expect each party to highlight how many jobs their pledges are going to result in as they wheel out their promises.
We’ll also be likely reminded of how the state has performed over the past 12 months.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures have shown SA has recorded the worst unemployment rate in the country on numerous occasions.
However, in January, it achieved its lowest rate since monthly records began being kept more than 40 years ago. It was back to having the worst jobless rate again in February though.
Who is winning: Liberal
TOURISM
The Liberals have pledged to create a 350ha adventure tourism destination at a disused quarry in Highbury.
Crystal Lake Recreation Park would be opened to the public for cycling, swimming, diving, kayaking and running, as part the promise.
The party says the cost of the project would not be finalised until after the election and it would need to enter into commercial negotiations with the quarry owner before the initiative could get off the ground.
The Liberals also pledged $25m for regional and nature-based tourism, and $12m for public reservoir upgrades.
Meanwhile, Labor says it will inject an extra $40m over four years into the tourism budget to bring new events, attracting interstate and international visitors, to SA.
Some of the events the party will target include the 2027 Rugby World Cup finals, Socceroos World Cup qualifiers, and major conventions, arts exhibitions and festivals.
Who is winning: Draw
COST OF LIVING
Voters are always receptive to lower household bills.
The Liberals last week announced they would provide $100 discounts off school fees for public school students.
The scheme would save families up to $24m over the 2022 and 2023 school years. Parents currently pay at least $253 for primary school students and $334 for high school students to cover the materials and services charge.
However, the Liberals said the $100 discount already had been signed off before the government went into caretaker mode and Labor said it would honour the deal if it formed government.
Both parties have been mainly focusing on other issues during the campaign so far and are expected to roll out policies to ease the cost of living in South Australian households ahead of polling day.
Who is winning: Draw
INFRASTRUCTURE
Two key projects have dominated infrastructure debate during the campaign and both disproportionately affect metropolitan voters.
The Liberals have spruiked their $662m Riverbank Arena as job-creating and profitmaking, while Labor dismiss it as an expensive and unnecessary “basketball stadium”.
The other major promise has been the redevelopment of the Adelaide Aquatic Centre, which both parties have committed to at some level.
Labor has pledged $80m and would take over the running of the facility, which they say would alleviate the financial burden on city ratepayers.
The Liberals would give $25m and rely on separate contributions from the Adelaide City Council and federal government. Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has been noncommittal on whether the money would be provided.
Who is winning: Labor
REGIONS
While most battleground seats are in metropolitan areas, both leaders have also turned their attention to winning over the regional vote.
As has been the case in other parts of the state, the Liberal campaign has largely focused on boosting the regional economy, while Labor has focused on health services for the regional population.
Premier Steven Marshall promised $25m for an Opening Our Great Outdoors regional and nature-based tourism fund, Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas has promised $52.7m for an upgrade to Mount Gambier Hospital upgrade and other health projects on Limestone Coast.
Labor has also chosen Whyalla as the location for its $593m hydrogen power station and storage facility, which it says would boost economic activity in the region.
Who is winning: Draw
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