13 November, 2025
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (11:10): I rise very briefly to indicate my opposition to the bill. The bill deals with superannuation arrangements for electricity corporation workers, police and politicians, and it is the latter group with which I have some concerns. The government states the bill is seeking to align the parliamentary super scheme with the public sector standard. I certainly recognise the need to modernise elements of the parliamentary super scheme. I also note that many of the elements that are being proposed here would be regarded as common sense and I am sure would be accepted by the community.
I do also want to note, though, that politicians already enjoy a number of benefits that are not afforded to all public sector workers, including higher salaries, access to a range of allowances and entitlements, flexibility at work during non-sitting periods, and relative security of tenure—after all, we do enjoy eight-year terms in this place.
I am also mindful that we are having this discussion at a time when the government is locked in pay disputes with the number of public sector unions. Is this really the number one priority in the dying days of this parliament, with just three days remaining in this parliamentary term, particularly at a time when so many South Australians are struggling?
This brings me to my next concern: the process that has been adopted here by the government, which I think is very poor. The bill has been on the Notice Paper for only 24 hours. It is the convention that bills sit here for at least a week before they are debated to provide enough time for them to be given appropriate consideration. In fact, when I checked this morning, the bill was not even listed on the parliamentary website, so it was not possible for it to be accessed by the public. I do acknowledge the government circulated it to members.
This chamber is meant to be a house of review that scrutinises legislation. I think that is even more important when we are dealing with things that relate to our own interests. It is vital that changes to MPs' entitlements, whether they are big or small, are subject to the appropriate level of public scrutiny. Faith in democracy is already at an all-time low, and I caution the government that rushing legislation like this only serves to further undermine faith in our democratic institutions. I think we owe it to the community to make sure that we deal with these discussions in a more open and transparent way. It is on that basis that I will not be supporting the bill.