The year ends very differently than Peter Malinauskas promised it would

As 2022 draws to a close, the Malinauskas Labor Government has left a litany of broken promises, arrogant spin and enormous cost blowouts and delays to the state’s most important infrastructure projects in its wake.

Since being elected 286 days ago, Peter Malinauskas has repeatedly failed South Australians in:

• Health: Labor’s promise to fix ramping has been exposed as a catchphrase, not a plan, with Peter Malinauskas delivering the worst seven months of ramping in South Australia’s history.
  • Latest data reveals 3,516 hours were lost on the ramp in November – a troubling 131 per cent increase when compared to February.

• Infrastructure: Labor has overseen massive cost blowouts and delays to two of South Australia’s most important infrastructure projects – The North-South Corridor and the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The North-South Corridor has increased in cost by a staggering $5.5 billion which equates to more than $523 million per kilometre of road. The nWCH has increased in cost by $1.2 billion and now won’t be completed until 2032.

• Economy: Right now, South Australia has the highest unemployment rate in the nation - an unenviable title we’ve held six times under Peter Malinauskas.
  • Major economic cracks are starting to show with Labor pushing $18 billion dollars’ worth of required funding for the North-South Corridor project and the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital beyond the forward estimates, creating a false sense of security when it comes to their budget bottom line.

• Environment: Peter Malinauskas declared a “climate emergency” but then in the same week slashed $70 million worth of practical environmental initiatives.
  • Labor’s Minister for Climate, Environment and Water is hardly leading by example, taking three overseas trips since March, including a month-long holiday while river communities brace for flood devastation – despite being the Minister responsible for the River Murray.

• Accountability: Peter Malinauskas welcomed the CFMEU’s John Setka into South Australia with open arms, with the union thug’s standover tactics putting small and family-run businesses and local jobs at risk.
  • Peter Malinauskas has also suspiciously rejected multiple requests from the Auditor-General for Cabinet documents relating to Labor’s grant funds program worth $133 million. His struggling Sport Minister was also advised she had 12 conflicts of interest linked to the program.

Leader of the Opposition David Speirs said as the year comes to an end, the gloss has well and truly worn off for the Malinauskas Labor Government.

“By failing to fix ramping, neglecting family budgets and allowing huge cost and time blowouts to critical infrastructure projects, Peter Malinauskas is showing he is all spin and no substance,” Mr Speirs said.

“When Peter Malinauskas promised South Australians he was going to ‘fix ramping’, no one thought the situation was going to get worse with the last seven months the worst on record.

“Under the Malinauskas Labor Government, ambulances have been ramped for more than 27,000 hours - that’s more than three years’ worth of paramedics’ time spent sitting outside hospitals instead of responding to emergency calls.

“I’m worried Labor is setting South Australians up for long-term economic pain with their inability to manage their budget. Peter Malinauskas’ huge delays to major infrastructure spending to simply balance the books is poor economic management.

“With interest rates rising, many South Australian households are thousands of dollars a year worse off, but despite increasing hip pocket pain Labor has offered up no broad cost-of-living relief for families.

“Before the election Labor has talked a big game when it comes to the environment, but by axing $70 million worth of practical environmental initiatives their actions show Peter Malinauskas is just full of hot air.

“One person who has been looked after by Peter Malinauskas is John Setka, with the red-carpet rolled out for his takeover of the South Australian branch of the CFMEU.

“Setka’s brand of thuggish behaviour and standover tactics have no place in our state – and will inevitably drive up construction costs, reduce productivity, cost jobs and discourage investment in South Australia. Despite saying he would stand up to this type of behaviour Peter Malinauskas has done nothing.”