If the current premier remains in state parliament, then Labor will be led by a middle-aged white man too. At least that means voters who only look at the leader not their local candidates will have to choose on some other criteria.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/bush-sum ... 1724833465Premier Peter Malinauskas brands electricity costs ‘a real public policy disaster’
Premier Peter Malinauskas has not shirked responsibility for bringing down power prices as he stressed the areas needing action in the regions.
Paul Starick
Editor At Large
@paulstarick
5 min read
August 28, 2024 - 4:53PM
Premier Peter Malinauskas has branded the nation’s electricity system “a real public policy disaster” as he declared state leaders should not “shirk responsibility” for soaring prices crippling households and businesses.
Speaking at The Advertiser’s Bush Summit on Wednesday, Mr Malinauskas condemned electricity “policy paralysis and partisanship” for driving up prices and deterring investment in new generators.
Asked whether he was nagging his family to turn off lights to save electricity, Mr Malinauskas confessed he “gave one of the kids a bit of a spray the other day” and thought: “I’m becoming like my father” in his bid to save costs.
Speakers at the Bush Summit, at McLaren Vale, pleaded for government action to bring relief from crippling costs, including energy and fuel, following The Advertiser on Tuesday revealing iconic South Australian firm Nippy’s monthly electricity bill had more than doubled in a year to $109,580.10.
Mr Malinauskas also branded as “a social tragedy” the severe skilled worker shortages in regional SA, saying it was “mission-critical” to fulfil the state’s economic ambitions to have “human capital living in our regions”.
Asked if it was impossible for a state leader to reduce power prices, Mr Malinauskas said: “I don’t think premiers should shirk responsibility – I absolutely think we’ve got a role to play.”
But he said state policy levers were limited in comparison to the federal government’s, lamenting a longstanding lack of “a coherent degree of bipartisanship and policy certainty” at a national level.
“If you ask me, I think that the creation of the National Electricity Market (in 1998), combined with the privatisation of the electricity market, has been a real public policy disaster,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“ … The nonsense of the climate wars at a federal level has undermined investment and, unfortunately, it looks like it’s continuing today.
“That, in turn, is resulting in an energy-rich country that exports power to the rest of the world paying a higher domestic power price than the very countries that we are exporting our own energy to – and if that is not the best example of policy failure, then I’m not too sure what is.”
An Advertiser poll in 2016 found simmering public anger at the 1999 privatisation of state-owned electricity utility ETSA was the major source of public blame for soaring power prices
In a separate Bush Summit interview, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong dismissed the Coalition’s nuclear plan as uneconomic, saying it would cost $600bn to deliver four per cent of Australia’s power by 2035.
The prominent Labor Left figure insisted her opposition to nuclear was on economic grounds alone, saying this had been confirmed by analysis she commissioned as Climate Change Minister in the Rudd government.
Senator Wong insisted gas would continue to have a role, just as continued renewable energy investment was essential.
“Gas has a place. We need gas for firming for renewables. We need gas in industrial processes and gas will be retained or continue to be part of people’s domestic consumption in their homes,” she said.
Delivering a keynote address to the Bush Summit, Mr Malinauskas said the state’s regional towns were increasingly supporting well-paid, highly skilled jobs, coupled with an enviable standard of living with which Australian capitals struggled to compete.
“The more we can make that appealing balance of career and lifestyle possible for towns all around the state, the better – because right now there is far more regional demand for labour than there is supply,” he said.
“I honestly believe that this unmet economic potential is more than just a policy failure – it is a social tragedy. If we want our regions to fulfil the state’s economic aspirations, then human capital living in our regions is mission-critical.”
Mr Malinauskas said governments had a vital role to play in tackling the biggest pressure points for people considering moving to the regions, listing access to education, access to healthcare and housing accessibility.
“History tells us that people will move to where services are, and that they will move away from where services are not. It’s that simple.
We know that many regional centres are struggling to find enough accommodation for the doctors and nurses and teachers and police officers that are so vital to any community,” he said.
The Premier listed numerous state government projects aimed at tackling this, including a pilot program to build rental housing for workers, a country teacher loading allowance and hospital upgrades across the state.
“The headline is that my government is determined to use every tool at our disposal to help regional South Australia enjoy a greater standard of living and greater prosperity – with more opportunity and more reward for ambition,” he said.
“And we are doing this not just because it makes economic sense, which it does, or because it is the responsible thing to do, which it is. It is also because it is fundamental to who we are as South Australians.”
RED TAPE HURTING SA FARMERS : GILES
Red tape and bureaucracy is paralysing farmers who are spending too much time in front of computers doing paperwork after long days in paddocks, says the head of one of the nation’s biggest pastoral firms.
Hancock Agriculture chief Adam Giles attacked the size of the federal bureaucracy, saying 106,000 public servants were working on regulation – a 17 per cent rise in one year.
Speaking at The Advertiser Bush Summit on Wednesday, Mr Giles said the red tape overload was affecting farmers’ mental health by diverting them from feeding sheep, cropping and other tasks.
“You go out in the morning, you feed out your hay, whatever your operation is... you do what you do. Then you come back and then you’re doing your BAS forms, then you’re doing your water use forms and then you’re doing every single thing you’ve got to do … it’s bloody hard work,” he said.
Penny Wong s leader of the ALP in the Senate from SA.
Tasmania (Lyons) and Western Australia (Curtin) have each provided one prime minister. Lyons was the state premier before he was prime minister. Both came from the ALP. Maybe it's SA's turn. Queensland (where Dutton is from) has provided four prime ministers.
Ah, Bob Hawke waves hello from beyond the grave.
I thought that was abc's point - Bob Hawke was born in Bordertown, but was in parliament as the member for Wills in Victoria (northern suburbs of Melbourne)rev wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2024 4:14 pmAh, Bob Hawke waves hello from beyond the grave.
Yeh sorry should have removed his quote. I was responding to your comment about Tassie & WA producing a PM, not specifically what seat they held.
I'd prefer not to have coke addicts as our political leaders thanks.Llessur2002 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 3:47 pmMeh. Am I the only one who isn't really that fussed about how the guy unwinds in the (supposed) privacy of his own home?
A reminder rev, he’s already said coherently and explicitly he will never ever join federal politics. Period.
Well he’s a pale whingey loser from Scotland who never had any chance of becoming premier. Elections are based on vibes, not policy. Spears could’ve had the best policy in the world and would never ever have gotten close to becoming premier
I've seen nothing to suggest he's an addict.
not much sane policy has come from anyone who has a dependence on hard drugsVinyTapestry849 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 3:52 pmWell he’s a pale whingey loser from Scotland who never had any chance of becoming premier. Elections are based on vibes, not policy. Spears could’ve had the best policy in the world and would never ever have gotten close to becoming premier
No wonder he’s stressed and snorting cocaine
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