South Australia State Budget: Key Events and Reactions
Key Events
Good night from us
By Sara Garcia
And that wraps up our coverage of this year's state budget.
Thank you for joining us.
We will have more analysis and reactions to the budget tomorrow.
Missed opportunity, Greens say
By Sara Garcia
The Greens say the state government should have frozen public transport fares in the budget and spent more on housing and fighting homelessness.
Leader Robert Simms said the government's planned delay in increasing public transport fares until October 1 doesn't go far enough.
The government will review at that time whether to increase them by 3.3 per cent as proposed by the Department for Infrastructure and Transport.
"It's a real slap in the face for South Australians who are doing it tough," Mr Simms said.
"In housing, Labor plan to upgrade a measly 300 vacant public houses just doesn't go far enough.
"Rather than simply setting up funds to fast-track private developments, the government should be doing a lot more of the heavy lifting when it comes to addressing the housing crisis and actually build the homes that we need.
"It's disappointing to see that the funding for homelessness support sector still hasn't increased and once again there's no funding for a dedicated homelessness advocacy body."
ABC not invited to One Nation presser
By Sara Garcia
One Nation SA leader Cory Bernardi has spoken to the press, giving his response to the state government's budget.
But the ABC was not invited to the press conference.
This comes after the ABC was barred from attending the party's election night function in March.
Breaking down the winners and losers
By Sara Garcia
Mr Koutsantonis says the budget focuses on reducing costs for families and providing stability for business.
With the state election held less than three months ago, there are few surprises and a lot of cash for promises, as state debt is projected to rise to more than $53 billion by 2029-30.
Check out the winners and losers here.
PSA asks whether cuts will impact paedophile monitoring
D By Daniel Keane
Public Service Association assistant general secretary Celia Brougham says the government needs to clarify which jobs will be targeted when it cuts 1,000 full-time equivalent positions.
The treasurer earlier described them as “back office” workers but Ms Brougham said that frontline services were in the firing line.
“Any cut to public service workers will result in a cut to frontline services being provided to the community,” she said.
“Which workers are going to be cut? Is it going to be workers in the DPP’s office ensuring that crooks and crims are behind bars? Is it going to be workers at the South Australian Housing Trust ensuring that vulnerable South Australians have a roof over their head?
“Or is it going to be workers monitoring notorious paedophile Peter Liddy who was released into the community today?”
The budget in pictures
S By Sara Garcia
As Tom Koutsantonis handed down his first budget since returning to the treasury last year, ABC News photographer Che Chorley captured the day.
Here is a series of photos from the event.
Public transport fares
D By Daniel Keane
The government has consistently resisted calls to make public transport free.
While that isn't changing, the budget commits to pausing annual increases in metroCARD fares for several months, until October 1.
The government says that that move reflects the impact of the Middle East war, which has had a significant impact on petrol prices.
It says that beyond October, it will review that position.
But there are also other changes to public transport, including extending the metroCARD zone to Murray Bridge.
The government says it wants to make it easier for people travelling from the regional centre to the city 75 kilometres away.
From the next AFL season, Footy Express services will also be expanded to Murray Bridge.
Infrastructure 'modest'
D By Daniel Keane
The infrastructure program contained in the budget has been described by the treasurer as "relatively small".
While there are funding measures – including $90 million SE Freeway upgrades and further roads spending, for which Commonwealth support is being sought – Mr Koutsantonis said the overall spend was "modest".
"This is a modest investment in infrastructure across South Australia," he said.
"It is not the 'big bang' you usually see in budgets."
Mr Koutsantonis attributed that approach to the size of the spending on other projects such as the North-South Corridor.
Question from the audience regarding royalties
S By Sara Garcia
How much will SA receive from uranium and mining royalties?
- Peter
Thanks for your question Peter!
Our reporter Eugene Boisvert who was in today's budget lock up, says the state government is expected to collect $509 million in mining royalties in the 2026-27 financial year, slightly more than the $494 million this year.
The amount is forecast to stay similar over the next four years, rising to $500 million in 2029-30.
It's hard to tell exactly how much comes from uranium, but much more gold and copper is extracted from South Australian mines overall (by value), so they would contribute more in royalties than uranium.
Opposition criticises debt
S By Sara Garcia
Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn has hit out at the government's soaring debt.
She has critcised the government for blowing its own budgets, and "handballing" debt to the next generation.
"The headline figure is that we've now got debt at a scale that's never seen before in South Australia with absolutely no plan from Labor as to how to pay it back," she said.
"You don't need to be a brain surgeon to figure out that you can't pay off your credit card if you actually can't manage your own budgets.
"Now what we've seen over the last four years alone is that Labor have blown their own budgets by more than $6 billion.
"[The debt] eye-watering, and they'll [future generations] be thinking that their grandkids and their great-grandkids will be left to hold the baby, really, of Peter Malinauskas' lack of regard for the taxpayer dollar."
Women's and Children's cost
D By Daniel Keane
The new Women's and Children's Hospital is expected to cost at least $3.2 billion – a figure the government has consistently committed to.
The treasurer today was asked about that figure and whether a significant blowout was likely.
While he did not budge from the figure, he also hedged his bets.
"If there is an extra cost, we'll make that public," he said.
"We're not ashamed to say this project is having difficulties."
Health spend 'missed opportunity', AMA says
D By Daniel Keane
While the Australian Medical Association (AMA) acknowledged the budget’s “huge spending in health”, it said the budget fell short in terms of delivering much-needed change.
The AMA’s SA president, Associate Professor Peter Subramaniam, said the budget had been an “opportunity to make bold investment in the things that cause ramping”.
"We didn’t see that and we really think that's a missed opportunity," he said.
"How will this budget solve ramping? How will it improve the wait lists for essential surgery?
"And how will it deliver on the healthcare system that South Australians need?"
He said the cost of building the new Women's and Children's Hospital was "likely to go up".
Building 'resilience' in kids
S By Sara Garcia
In announcing the government's cost-of-living package, the treasurer outlined plans to keep kids off screens.
The package includes a free term of school-based activity, free school camps for kids in Year 7 and holiday come and try programs.
"We want people to participate in things outside of school and we're going to provide that in school," he said.
"The camps are very important.
"Kids are becoming less resilient. You know, the Education Minister tells me stories of parents, you know, driving to campsites to be with their kids because they can't be a night away from home.
"This is about building that resilience, building that strength in young people, especially in our public schools.
"I know it certainly helped me when I was younger and I know it's going to help kids today."
NDIS changes, government 'won't pick up the slack'
D By Daniel Keane
A major point of contention between the SA and federal governments that has been exposed by the budget is the impact of the changes to the NDIS.
In April, the federal government announced it intended to remove at least 160,000 participants, while reducing funding amounts from others.
The treasurer was blunt about the implications, and what the state government would – and would not – be doing.
"One of the biggest threats to the state government, and states around the nation, are the NDIS changes," Mr Koutsantonis said.
"A whole group of people coming off the NDIS services are going to need some level of service, and I think everyone’s looking to us to be that safety net. Well, state governments need to make this very clear to the Commonwealth Government – they have more to do.
"We all agree get rid of the frauds and the crooks out of the NDIS – absolutely, absolutely - but simultaneously that does not mean we can pick up the slack."
ADHD GP diagnoses
D By Daniel Keane
Similarly, the budget sets aside $350,000 over two years to deliver on another pre-election policy.
The government wants to train another 100 GPs "to diagnose and prescribe medication" for ADHD.
It says that would double the number of GPs qualified to take on that task.
IVF support
D By Daniel Keane
The government is following through on a pre-election promise to make IVF treatment more accessible.
It has committed $18.5 million over four years to fund a rebate scheme to make IVF treatment "more affordable for thousands of women and families".
The government says that the commitment will provide a "rebate of $2,000 per IVF cycle for up to two cycles", as well as a smaller rebate for pre-IVF fertility testing.
"It is a practical measure to reduce the upfront financial burden of fertility treatment," the treasurer said.
Total health spending
D By Daniel Keane
The contribution of the cost of running the health system to the budget's bottom line is weighty.
In fact, it's expected to account for about a third of government operating costs in the next financial year.
According to the government's projections, total operating expenses across its range of agencies – which include police, courts, correctional services, education, and emergency services – are expected to reach $33.6 billion in 2026-27.
Of that amount, a whopping $11 billion is going to health and wellbeing.
Roughly the same amount is projected in the years down the track – meaning health is likely to cost $45 billion over the next four years.
Whyalla prominent in calculations
D By Daniel Keane
The future of the Whyalla steelworks remains uncertain, with the government last month announcing two bidders were in the running to take over the site, and BlueScope Steel retaining its right of last offer.
To secure the site, which is currently in the hands of administrators, the federal and state governments have embarked on a joint rescue package totalling approximately $2.6 billion.
This budget flags a further $319 million over two years – $159 million of which will come from the SA government.
That money will, the government said, support the sale of the site by funding its ongoing operations during its administration.
Master Builders SA praises 'steady' budget
S By Sara Garcia
Master Builders Association SA's CEO Will Frogley described today's budget as "very much steady as she goes".
"It's a marked contrast with the federal government's trust-obliterating train-wreck, isn't it?" he said.
He said today's state budget was what you would expect from a "firmly entrenched" government.
"No nasty surprises is quickly becoming a thing on budget day in South Australia and some might say that's a bit boring, but I'd take that over some of the alternatives we've seen around the country."
