The SA Politics Thread

[Aidan]

Still a bit surprised / shocked at the outcome, but very glad.

The momentum of the 'big build' will surely continue - but I sincerely do hope that a plan to address the issue of debt and deficit is sorted out sometime in the next couple of years. We cannot keep going on at the current trajectory.

How low would interest rates have to be before you'd approve of SA taking on more debt?

Now that Labor are returned; we should put together a summary of their election promises and hold them to account.

- Electrification of the Gawler line to Salisbury.
- Establishment of a second Adelaide CBD high school on the old RAH site.
- Upgrades to Parafield and Broadmeadow railway stations.
- Property acquisitions for Aldinga railway corridor.
- $7.5m to Motorsport Park at Tailem Bend.
- $117.5m second stage redevelopment of Flinders Medical Centre

Feel free to add more within the quote box.

The nice thing about minority government is that they can be held to much more than mere election promises: they can finally be forced to do what's good for our state instead of imposing their own second rate vision upon us.

[monotonehell]

But it is still a worry that the state is being run by a party that only circa 35% of the population voted for.

It's not a popularity contest across the state. We have to look at it seat by seat. That tells a much different story, and the more important story.

I'm not sure how well we will be governed, seems to me to be a redo of the previous Federal government's situation. Time will tell.

[Waewick]

But it is still a worry that the state is being run by a party that only circa 35% of the population voted for.

It's not a popularity contest across the state. We have to look at it seat by seat. That tells a much different story, and the more important story.

I'm not sure how well we will be governed, seems to me to be a redo of the previous Federal government's situation. Time will tell.

I guess we will see.

[Hooligan]

.

- Upgrades to Parafield and Broadmeadow railway stations.

When was that ever mentioned?

[[Shuz]]

.

- Upgrades to Parafield and Broadmeadow railway stations.

When was that ever mentioned?

http://www.jay4sa.com.au/wp-content/upl ... grades.pdf

[Dog]

Funny to hear the Libs, in particular Chris Pyne so bitterly criticising the election outcome and Brock's decision to support a labor government. It's this very bitterness and the way they have treated the independents over many years that has kept them from forming government once again. They never learn, by contrast it's Labor governments have a track record of working with independents and even Nationals to form governments.
Labor governments by contrast have also been prepared to embrace ex Liberals with expertise to committees, and senior appointments, Dean Brown, John Olson, spring to mind. In contrast Liberals once on power, spitefully have a track record of getting rid of anyone with an opposing or independent view.
Abbott is already off and running sacking people with independent views from the Treasury and ex labor diplomatic appointments.
It's this all or nothing spiteful Liberal attitude that you are either "for us or against us" that will come come back to bite them in the bum time and time again.
Good on you Chris Pyne and your mates in the Adverser keep it up and Labor will get another 12 years.


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[Vee]

This ABC News report could also be added to the Federal Politics thread as it relates to infrastructure, potential relations between the State and Federal Governments, budgets and purse strings.
This comment from Jamie Briggs is rather ominous.

(Feds).. would not be prepared to agree to any project which was not good value for money.

Will the Feds insist on funding the Darlington interchange as a priority over the Torrens to Torrens section of South Rd (favoured by Labor)?
Will there be any Federal $$ forthcoming for the much needed Nyrstar smelter upgrade?

Federal minister Jamie Briggs demands SA Labor Government speed South Road upgrade costings work

Federal Assistant Infrastructure Minister Jamie Briggs is demanding accurate costings from the South Australian Government on South Road upgrade plans.

Mr Briggs has written to Premier Jay Weatherill saying a study commissioned late last year is yet to produce accurate figures.
"Over the last 18 months there has been at least three different costings for that project (Darlington section)," he said.

"In May 2013 ... Minister [Tom] Koutsantonis said it was a $1.02 billion cost to upgrade Darlington and then in the federal election campaign ... he said it was a $1.8 billion cost and more recently we've seen in Labor costings documents during the [state] election campaign that it's a $600 million upgrade, so there is a fair bit of confusion around about the exact cost."

Mr Briggs says the Federal Government remains committed to upgrading the entire South Road corridor through Adelaide within a decade, including Darlington in the southern suburbs and the Torrens-to-Torrens section near Port Road, which state Labor favours.

"We'll work with them of course, we want to get the projects happening and this letter's been ready since last Monday ... as soon as there was some clarity [election result] the letter was sent," he said.

"Tony Abbott will be the infrastructure Prime Minister, because he gets things done, not just announced.
"We want this to be a project that satisfies the productive capacity of the economy we're trying to develop."

Mr Briggs says the Federal Government would not be prepared to agree to any project which was not good value for money.

And...
Briggs questions if Nyrstar 'deal done'

On the issue of Nyrstar's proposed lead smelter upgrade at regional Port Pirie, Mr Briggs questioned if a state deal had been done which meant federal money might not be needed.

There has been an indication out of Labor's negotiations with Frome independent Geoff Brock to achieve a fourth term that the Weatherill Government would be prepared to underwrite the Nyrstar transformation plan if the Federal Government did not deliver the money.

"If the State Government's going to do it, you'd have to wonder why we would?" Mr Briggs said.
"If Jay Weatherill's cut that deal, I mean that seems like the deal's done, the Federal Government's no longer required."

Mr Briggs says it would be wrong for the SA Government to suggest the Coalition would try to turn Nyrstar's future into a political issue, as an evaluation of the company's funding proposal already was being made at federal level.

"There'll be no special deal, we're not a lender of last resort for big corporations, but if it passes the due diligence of course it will be given [Cabinet] consideration," he said.

Nyrstar is seeking more than $300 million to transform its smelter and Mr Briggs says any federal support would be a loan.

ABC News:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-25/j ... ar/5343416

[Waewick]

Well I can't blame him on the Nystar part.

If Jay has committed then why would the Feds bother?

[Dog]

I see the federal Liberals are cutting $80bn from state funding, or $6bn to SA, = to 500 hospital beds and 3,000 teachers, if they can find 3,000 teachers or perhaps doctors and nurses who are still prepared to admit to voting Liberal they could be the first to volunteer to go.


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[stumpjumper]

The news has surfaced that Weatherill tried to buy the support of Liberal MP Duncan McFetridge with an offer worth more than $1,000,000 to McFetridge in an attempt to form a minority government after the March 2014 state election.

McFetridge, MP for Morphett in the south-west suburbs, says that Weatherill approached him with an offer of a seat in the outer ministry. The deal would have meant a gift of approximately $1 million in increased salary and superannuation entitlements for McFetridge.

McFetridge won with 62.9% of the vote after preferences (57.7% before) while Labor's Tim Looker scored 37.1% after preferences and 28.3% before. It might seem outrageous for a party leader to expect an elected member with almost 58% of the first preference vote to defect to a party with only 28.3% of the first preference vote even in return for a cool million in the pocket, but that is the way Labor has done business in SA for the last few elections. The personal cash bribes are usually camouflaged by promises of generous expenditure in the defector's electorate. Accepting the money is usually the end of the defector's political career, and reputation in most cases, but those who do seem to think it's worth it.

Anyway, McFetridge said no, so Weatherill tried a softer mark, and bought independent Port Pirie MP Geoff Brock who had won Frome from the Liberals, with Labor gaining only 11.3% of the vote and was knocked out before distribution of preferences. Brock preferenced the Liberal's coalition partner the National Party.

Still, the money Weatherill personally offered Brock in his kitchen over a pizza was good and Brock accepted the deal, which like the offer refused by McFetridge, comprised a package of an outer ministry seat, increased superannuation entitlements and of course a swag of cash to be splashed around Brock's electorate to cheer up the 88.7% of voters who didn't vote for a Labor representative.

Labor under Rann and now Weatherill is making an art form of the post-election auction of highly paid positions in order to entice elected non-Labor candidates to change sides. Why not? It's not illegal to defeat another party's candidate in an election and then announce, after the election, that the party whose candidate you defeated has bought your services. Sadly, there seem to be enough MPs willing to ignore the expressed wishes of their electorates to make it happen.

As a footnote, the special circumstances in SA of physically large, Liberal leaning country electorates makes it hard for the Liberals to win power, even if it gains a majority if votes despite the state's constitution declaring that the party with the most votes should form government.

The former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond has gone as far as accusing in Parliament the state's electoral commissioner Kay Mousley if being 'utterly corrupt' and the Electoral Boundaries Commission she runs as being 'utterly hopeless'.

It will be interesting to see if Mousley is prepared to expose those claims to litigation.

[rev]

But it is still a worry that the state is being run by a party that only circa 35% of the population voted for.

It's not a popularity contest across the state. We have to look at it seat by seat. That tells a much different story, and the more important story.

I'm not sure how well we will be governed, seems to me to be a redo of the previous Federal government's situation. Time will tell.

We will be governed like the ignorant slaves and idiots most of society is.
Same old promises, same old tricks by both sides of politics, with a few lunatics on the fringe like the Greens.

[monotonehell]

We will be governed like the ignorant slaves and idiots most of society is.
Same old promises, same old tricks by both sides of politics, with a few lunatics on the fringe like the Greens.

I agree with the first part of your statement, Rev. But this whole "Greens are lunatics" trope they have hanging over their head is unwarranted. In the current political landscape, the Greens are the only ones speaking rationally. Both Labor and Liberals are spouting blind ideology, and performing miserably. While the greens have been calling them out on their corruption, stating evidence-based policy, and holding a consistent front.

I suggest people let go of their old ideas and actually have a look at where the parties are politically now.

You'd have a hard time arguing with most of their current platform:
http://greens.org.au/policy

[Waewick]

the real problem with state politics is that in reality we are left with the scraps in terms of talented people, most of whom leave interstate/international (not all people that leave SA are intelligent or talented or that people who are left are not intelligent and talent)

So whats left, especially in the 20-40 age bracket, doesn't really fill you with much hope...just look at our treasurer, I mean seriously.....

[rev]

We will be governed like the ignorant slaves and idiots most of society is.
Same old promises, same old tricks by both sides of politics, with a few lunatics on the fringe like the Greens.

I agree with the first part of your statement, Rev. But this whole "Greens are lunatics" trope they have hanging over their head is unwarranted. In the current political landscape, the Greens are the only ones speaking rationally. Both Labor and Liberals are spouting blind ideology, and performing miserably. While the greens have been calling them out on their corruption, stating evidence-based policy, and holding a consistent front.

I suggest people let go of their old ideas and actually have a look at where the parties are politically now.

You'd have a hard time arguing with most of their current platform:
http://greens.org.au/policy

I haven't read it..merely skipped through it quickly.

I don't disagree with protecting the environment. But I think a compromise between protecting the environment and mining is needed.
We need mining because we need the resources, but we also obviously need our environment and ecosystems.

I don't care about same sex marriage..whether it's legalized or not, although I don't see a reason for it not to be.

Renewable energy should be something that we logically look to increase and improve the technology involved with it. Not because of some fear mongering about global warming, but because it is logically the next step in our energy needs. In my mind anyway.

Refugees..please, when will people wake up and realize a person who uses his/her passport/documents to board flights from one country to the next before arriving in Indonesia to board a fishing boat to Australia, who then destroys his/her passport/documents, is not a legitimate refugee or asylum seeking.
What such people are seeking is a back door into Australia for financial gain/benefit. They aren't even economic refugees. Just dishonest people.
And I'm not saying that everyone that comes on a boat is like that, but many of them are.

Like I've said before, I know refugees who came here from Yugoslavia in the 1990's. They came here on planes, with their passports and other documents.
What, was the war in Yugoslavia a picnic compared to other wars around the world today?

Sarah Hanson Young can climb aboard a rocket bound for orbit, and go live in lala land.
Ranting and raving loudly in front of news cameras doesn't make her right. The Greens would be better of without her, and would probably appeal to more people if lunatics like her weren't front and center for the party.

[monotonehell]

I haven't read it..merely skipped through it quickly.

I don't disagree with protecting the environment. But I think a compromise between protecting the environment and mining is needed.
We need mining because we need the resources, but we also obviously need our environment and ecosystems.

I don't care about same sex marriage..whether it's legalized or not, although I don't see a reason for it not to be.

Renewable energy should be something that we logically look to increase and improve the technology involved with it. Not because of some fear mongering about global warming, but because it is logically the next step in our energy needs. In my mind anyway.

Refugees..please, when will people wake up and realize a person who uses his/her passport/documents to board flights from one country to the next before arriving in Indonesia to board a fishing boat to Australia, who then destroys his/her passport/documents, is not a legitimate refugee or asylum seeking.
What such people are seeking is a back door into Australia for financial gain/benefit. They aren't even economic refugees. Just dishonest people.
And I'm not saying that everyone that comes on a boat is like that, but many of them are.

Like I've said before, I know refugees who came here from Yugoslavia in the 1990's. They came here on planes, with their passports and other documents.
What, was the war in Yugoslavia a picnic compared to other wars around the world today?

So fundamentally you pretty much agree with them.


And yet...

Sarah Hanson Young can climb aboard a rocket bound for orbit, and go live in lala land.
Ranting and raving loudly in front of news cameras doesn't make her right. The Greens would be better of without her, and would probably appeal to more people if lunatics like her weren't front and center for the party.

Why the rage? What exactly has she said that was worthy of your vitriol?