17 October 2023

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (17:11): I rise also to speak on the Appropriation Bill. In so doing, I echo many of the comments made by my colleague the Hon. Tammy Franks. I want to reflect on the failure of this Labor budget to really tackle inequality. In doing so, I want to start with the housing crisis.

We are in the midst of the worst housing crisis we have seen in generations—in generations. We have a record low vacancy rate for rental properties. We have a waitlist for public housing of almost 20,000 people. As a result, we have people sleeping in cars, people sleeping in the street, people sleeping in tents. There are people who have employment who are not able to afford to find a place to live.

I do want to recognise the leadership of the Malinauskas government in attempting to tackle the crisis. They have taken some welcome steps. I know that Minister Hon. Nat Cook is passionate about wanting to address the homelessness crisis, and I know that Minister Hon. Nick Champion is equally passionate about wanting to see more land released for housing. We welcome that, but the government needs to do better. They need to do much, much better and we need to see a more radical approach being taken to housing policy here in this state.

This approach of simply saying, 'Let's let the free market decide,' is not working. It is turbocharging this crisis. Let's look at the rental crisis, where we have a record low vacancy rate and where we see rent prices climbing up and up and up. Rent in the city over the last two years has gone up by 20 per cent. In some regional areas it has gone up by 70 per cent.

What action has the government taken on rent prices? They introduced a bill that prevented people from being able to advertise properties in a range, which they said was banning rent-bidding, which we know did not actually ban rent-bidding. It does not prevent somebody from offering a bid above the asking price and clinching the property. It was a step but, quite frankly, far too little to have a meaningful impact on this crisis. They need to take action on rent prices.

I introduced a bill in this place that would have capped rent increases in line with inflation, a simple proposition, one in line with the model that has been in operation in the ACT over many years. I could not get one other political party in this place to support that bill, not one—not the Labor Party, not the Liberal Party, not the SA-Best independents, and not the One Nation party.

It is outrageous that not one party would step up and support renters in this place, not one party. Instead, they kowtow to the likes of the Property Council, they kowtow to the big end of town who are advocating for the interests of landlords at the expense of those South Australians who are feeling the pinch of this housing crisis. The Greens will continue to hold this Labor government to account on that. They need to do better.

I am not just here to complain about the lack of leadership in this regard. The Greens have also put some concrete ideas on the table. I am a proud South Australian but sometimes Victoria comes up with some good ideas. Recently, they suggested a levy on the Airbnb sector, the short stay accommodation sector. That would have a really positive impact in terms of incentivising more housing back onto the long-term rental market.

Mr President, I ask you to consider whether it is fair, whether it is equitable, that in the middle of the worst housing crisis we have seen for generations we have perfectly good properties sitting there vacant for six months of the year while people sleep on the street. That is not right in our society. At least the Andrews government in Victoria, in introducing a levy, are trying to address that, and the money raised could be put into social housing. So the Greens support that and we urge the Malinauskas government to take some lessons from what their counterparts are doing in Victoria.

We also urge them to look at applying a tax on vacant property and vacant land. In Victoria, they apply a tax of 1 per cent on property that is vacant without good reason for six months, and on land that is vacant without good reason for five years—1 per cent on the value of the property or the land, with the money again going to boost social housing. We need that investment in housing in our state and we need to crack down on land banking. That is what the Labor Party is doing in Victoria—they should be doing it here.

We also need to ensure that there are better concessions available for renters and that is why, in the lead-up to the recent state budget, the Greens called for an increase in the Cost of Living Concession for renters so that it was at the same level as home owners. We have called for that over the last two budgets, the first two budgets of the Malinauskas Labor government, and they still have not delivered it.

We also want to lift the eligibility for the Cost of Living Concession so that it is in line with the threshold for the Low Income Health Care Card and introduce a partial concession for low income earners who live in share housing. That would really help give a helping hand to those renters who are doing it tough. And, of course, we need to build a lot more public housing. We have been calling for 10,000 public homes over the next 12 months—that is 10 times what the Malinauskas government has put on the table—because we know that whilst what they are doing is a start it is just not enough.

It is not just in the area of housing where the Malinauskas government have failed to take action on the inequality crisis that is engulfing our state. They also need to invest more in our public schools and in providing support to parents. We have been calling to increase the South Australian government's share of the Schooling Resource Standard funding from 75 per cent to 80 per cent for public schools. We have also been calling for the government to abolish materials and services charges and other fees for parents at public schools so that public schools are actually free.

We want a universal free, healthy breakfast and lunch program in every public primary and secondary school in South Australia, and I do want to acknowledge the leadership of the minister, the Hon. Blair Boyer, in that regard. The government has put more money on the table for free breakfast programs in some schools, and we welcome that. That is going to help a lot of kids, but they need to go further and make it available in every school.

We also want more money to upgrade infrastructure in our public schools. By way of example, I recently went to my old stomping ground, Aberfoyle Park High School. I think I am one of the few people in this parliament who went to a public school. I am proud of that.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: There are a few in this chamber, but not many in the other place. I am proud of that, but I might say that it was very disappointing to go to that school and see that it still has not seen the investment in infrastructure that is needed, 20 years after I graduated. There needs to be more money for maintenance of our public schools.

The other area where the Malinauskas government needs to step up, I would suggest, is in public transport policy. We conducted a major inquiry into public transport here in this chamber, and six months on I could not get the Minister for Regional Development to actually read the report for some time. I understand she may have done so recently—I certainly welcome that; that is a real move in the right direction—but we have not seen action in terms of the recommendations in the report.

That is, what is the government doing about rail for the regions? What is it doing to ensure that people living in regional areas have access to public transport? Where is the money for cycling infrastructure, when South Australia falls so embarrassingly behind other jurisdictions? There is lots of work to do, and the Greens will continue to push the government to go further.

In respect of transport, we saw recently that there had been a decline in the use of public transport over the last few years. We have been calling for free public transport to try to get people back onto the network and, in the context of a cost-of-living crisis, to try to provide relief to families who might be struggling with the rising cost of petrol.

There are lots of things the government could do, and the Greens will continue to put forward positive ideas here in this chamber. With that, I conclude my remarks.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

28 September 2023

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:07): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector on the topic of the teachers' industrial action.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: On 1 September 2023, thousands of people gathered outside Parliament House, calling for better pay and more support for teachers in classrooms across public schools. On the day, more than 300 schools were closed or operating a reduced program. I should say that it was an honour to speak at the rally and show solidarity on behalf of the Greens.

On 17 September 2023, the South Australian branch of the Australian Education Union stated that a new offer had been given to the union by the Malinauskas government; however, the union still had concerns about the proposal, especially regarding non-instruction time for teachers. Therefore, my question to the minister is: what is the current status of negotiations with teachers, and what action is the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector taking to meet the needs of teachers and support staff in our state's public schools?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:08): I thank the honourable member for his question and his steadfast support of working people in South Australia over many years and over three levels of government now.

There are ongoing discussions between the government and the union that represents teachers in this state. They are respectful discussions, and at some stage we will find that middle common ground. These sorts of negotiations are sometimes protracted and are not always easy, but we are doing something very different to what the former government did. We are doing it in good faith and in a respectful manner.

We all remember the former government. The former minister for industrial relations, the Hon. Rob Lucas, would chastise and attempt to demean people as union bosses. I have to say, there is no more honourable thing, in my view, than being a union boss, dedicating your working life to helping working people—often helping some of the lowest paid people in society.

We respect unions, and certainly it is a new experience for me, finding myself on the other side of negotiating with public sector unions, but we have already done it with the nurses' union, with the firefighters' union and with the ambulance union, successfully by being respectful. The ambulance union, for example: our hardworking paramedics had not had a pay rise for years—I think it was over three years that they hadn't had a pay rise because of the belligerence of the previous government, because of the stubbornness, because of the ideological hatred that the Hon. Rob Lucas had for people representing workers in this state.

We have concluded negotiations and agreements with those three unions already. There are negotiations with the teachers' union currently going on and I have been happy to be a part of some of those negotiations. There are further negotiations occurring at a departmental level and I am sure we will come to a resolution in the not-too-distant future. I want to pay tribute to the people they represent as well: the teachers in this state, who educate the next generation of South Australians and do extraordinary workday in, day out.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:10): Supplementary: given the extraordinary work done by our teachers, will the government commit to actually paying them what they are worth?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:10): I thank the honourable member for his question. As I have said, those negotiations will continue, and I am sure will land in the not-too-distant future.

3 August 2023

In reply to the The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (6 July 2023):

Can the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science advise:

1. What are the salaries of the chancellors and vice-chancellors of the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia and Flinders University for each financial year from 2019 to this financial year?

2. What added benefits or bonuses are in the packages beyond salary for the chancellors and vice-chancellors of the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia and Flinders University?

Response by The Hon. K.J. MAHER MLC: 

The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science has advised:

The statutes for all three South Australian public universities outline that the councils of the respective universities are responsible for determining the terms and conditions upon which the vice-chancellors and chancellors hold office. The salaries and benefits of vice-chancellors and chancellors are therefore a matter to be determined by the councils of each respective university.

17 August 2023

In reply to the Hon. R.A. SIMMS (27 June 2023):

My questions to the minister are:

1. Is the minister concerned about the impacts of teacher shortages on development in the regions, and educational opportunities for regional people?

2. What actions has the minister taken to address the problem?

3. Has she made representations to the Minister for Education in relation to the matter?

Response by the Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN MLC: 

The Minister for Education, Training and Skills has advised:

1. A teacher supply shortage is being experienced across Australia, with teacher supply and retention being a focus for all jurisdictions. The Malinauskas Labor government is acutely aware of this issue and has been taking action since coming to government to address teacher shortages in country South Australia.

2. The Malinauskas Labor government made important election commitments to tackle teacher shortages, particularly in the country. We are delivering on our election commitment to make the country incentive zone allowance ongoing for all teachers who are eligible to receive it in the 2024 school year, rather than it cease after 5 or 8 years. This will help attract teachers to work in the country, and support teacher retention in regional areas.

To build the teacher pipeline for country schools and preschools the Department for Education has also developed two new initiatives aimed at pre-service teachers.

Firstly, they are being supported to undertake funded professional experience placements in country sites to increase their visibility of career opportunities and the lifestyle of these locations. This initiative aims to remove a major barrier for pre-service teachers to participate in country professional experiences by providing financial support recognising the need to relocate for a period.

Secondly, the department has developed an employment program to support pre-service teachers who move to country locations in their first teaching appointment. This initiative is designed to support their transition from study to employment, and to support their induction into the local community and teaching.

To support these initiatives we have developed a country campaign to profile what it looks like to live and teach in regional South Australia

This campaign includes the inspiring personal stories of teachers from across the state

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/working-us/careers-education/opportunities-country-south-australia/teaching-opportunities-country-south-australia.'

The government is also delivering the Country Education Strategy, which aims to provide quality leadership and expert teaching in every country school and preschool; better access to digital infrastructure, student support services and business administration systems for country schools and preschools; and access to quality learning and career, study and training opportunities for country children and young people. A key intent of this strategy is to make our country schools more attractive for staff to work in.

Alongside specific actions targeting country teachers, the Malinauskas Labor government has joined with other jurisdictions in developing the National Teacher Workforce Plan, which sets 27 priority actions the commonwealth, state and territory government are taking to improve teacher supply and keep teachers in the profession.

Our government will continue to make the important investments needed to address teacher shortages, including in the country.

3. I am in frequent discussion with my cabinet colleagues about regional issues.

24 July 2023

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (14 June 2023).

Can the Minister for Education, Training and Skills advise:

1. What is the status of the Springbank Secondary College upgrade project?

2. Has the government committed to fund the upgrade of the science labs as part of phase 2 of the school's building works?

3. Can the minister guarantee that there are no plans to merge Springbank Secondary College with another secondary school?

4. What is the Department for Education doing to support Springbank Secondary College's renewal plan to fill its 450-student capacity?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): 

The Minister for Education, Training and Skills has advised:

Springbank Secondary College was allocated $10 million in 2017 as part of the then Weatherill government's $692m Building Better Schools program.

Further funding was approved by the current government in April 2023, increasing the project budget to $11.55 million.

All refurbished areas are now complete with the school occupying the new classrooms. It is expected that the remaining external works, which have experienced a delay due to wet weather, will be completed in July 2023.

The Department for Education has worked with the architects to consider several options for the science wing refurbishment including associated costs. These are currently being reviewed. Once this process is complete the project will be considered for funding through the department's annual capital investment prioritisation process.

I can guarantee there are no plans to amalgamate or merge Springbank Secondary College with another secondary school. The Labor Party, when in opposition, stood with the school as attempts were made to close it. We continue to support Springbank as it grows.

Growing the enrolments of Springbank Secondary College is a priority for the Malinauskas Labor government. On top of the previously mentioned capital works upgrades, the school's leadership and governing council have implemented strategies to develop and renew the school. This includes refocusing on how the education program was delivered and developing key partnerships with other local educational facilities and universities.

The school's specialist basketball academy continues to be an integral part of the school.

These strategies and programs have seen a steady increase in enrolments in the last few years.

We will continue to look at ways we can further encourage more families to choose Springbank Secondary College.

13 September 2023

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (16:06): I move:

That this council—

1. Notes that the Australian Education Union (AEU) (SA Branch) took industrial action on 1 September 2023 in response to the Malinauskas government's enterprise bargaining offer.

2. Acknowledges that 80 per cent of AEU members who voted in the ballot to take industrial action voted in favour of doing so.

3. Calls on the Malinauskas government to commit to supporting South Australian public education by making an offer that meets the AEU's requests for—

(a) reducing face-to-face teaching by 20 per cent to eliminate excessive and unsustainable workloads;

(b) an additional school services officer in every classroom to provide school students with necessary learning support; and

(c) a salary rise of 20 per cent over three years to attract and retain public school educators.

This motion notes that the Australian Education Union (SA Branch) took industrial action on 1 September 2023 in response to the Malinauskas government's enterprise bargaining offer. It acknowledges that 80 per cent of our new members who voted in the ballot to take that industrial action voted in favour of the strike.

The motion calls on the Malinauskas government to commit to supporting South Australian public education by making an offer that meets the AEU's requests for reducing face-to-face teaching by 20 per cent to eliminate excessive, unsustainable workloads; provides for an additional school services officer in every classroom to provide school students with necessary learning support; and a salary rise of 20 per cent over three years to attract and retain public school educators.

It is important for this parliament to discuss the industrial action that was recently taken by public schoolteachers and the state of the ongoing enterprise bargaining negotiations between the state government and the Australian Education Union, because teachers and educators were forced to take that action, as the pressure on our teachers is higher than ever and they are facing growing bureaucratic requirements that reduce time for the core work of teaching. Whilst this is happening, they must manage increasing complex needs from students, and we are seeing this right across our education system.

It is worth highlighting a UniSA report, which was released earlier this year, which surveyed 1,600 South Australian teachers and found that our teachers work above and beyond the hours for which they are paid. On average, they are working over 50 hours a week, including just over 20 hours of face-to-face teaching and 30 hours of additional tasks. Shockingly, almost half of all respondents stated that they intended to leave teaching within five years. Almost half of all respondents said that they intend to leave the profession within five years. Imagine what impact that could have on our public education system, particularly when one considers the crisis it is already facing.

It is clear that there is a crisis affecting our schools and preschools right across the state and that our school leaders and support staff are doing their best just to keep the education system running. Indeed, recent Department for Education data indicates that over 35,000 SA students are without a consistent teacher due to staffing shortages.

In the ongoing enterprise bargaining negotiations, the Australian Education Union put forward solutions to fix the crisis. These included a reduction in face-to-face teaching by 20 per cent to eliminate excessive and unsustainable workloads, an additional school services officer in every classroom to provide school students with necessary learning support, and a salary increase. But the offer they received from the state government ignored almost every proposal put forward by teachers and their union to fix the education system.

It was hardly surprising, then, that the AEU's statewide ballot to take industrial action saw an extraordinary 80 per cent of its members vote in support. Teachers were simply no longer willing to accept an offer that would have seen this crisis continue. The Greens stood in solidarity with thousands of public school educators when they took industrial action on 1 September, and it was an honour to address the crowd outside the front of Parliament House. We will continue to support them in their struggle for better pay and work conditions.

Although I understand the state government has come back to the table with a revised offer to avert this Friday's planned strike action, it is clear there is still a long way to go between the AEU's asks and the government's new offer. The revised salary increase of just 3 per cent per year is still below the AEU demands for between 5 and 8.6 per cent per year for three years and below inflation before the last strike.

It is especially concerning that some teachers in some schools will not receive a reduction in their workloads until 2030. Teachers are already working above and beyond the hours for which they are paid, and seven years is simply far too long for them to wait. It is the responsibility of governments to adequately invest in and provide a quality public education for all. It must provide working conditions that ensure that our educators can deliver the best outcomes for South Australian students irrespective of where they live and whatever their postcode may be. The government needs to sit down in good faith, listen to our teachers and support South Australian public education by putting an offer on the table that actually meets their needs.

I think it is worth reflecting on the journey we have been on during these COVID years. If I look at the focus on healthcare workers, there has been an appropriate focus on the contribution they have made, and I think their contribution has been celebrated and rightly so. They were working at the frontline in terms of keeping our communities safe.

But what about our teachers? What about our teachers, who were also working through those really challenging conditions, trying to negotiate online teaching, or who were accommodating students back into the classroom, keeping our children safe in the middle of a pandemic? Where has been the recognition from government for their work? Where has been the recognition from the former Liberal government and now the Malinauskas Labor government for their work?

It is not acceptable in my mind for the government to say, 'We can't afford it. We don't have the money to make this happen.' Budgets are about choices, and this is a government that was willing to throw half a billion dollars at a university merger without even reading the business case. They were happy to do that, yet they expect the community to believe that they cannot find the money to pay teachers what they are worth.

We have a government in Canberra that is going to be spending $250 billion on tax cuts for the megarich, yet we cannot afford to pay teachers what they are worth. We are going to be seeing $360 billion being spent on war machines that are going to be made in South Australia, but, again, we cannot afford to pay teachers what they are worth.

This is a government in South Australia that is shelling out $15 billion on a road project that has blown out. Talk about tunnel vision—quite literally tunnel vision. What are they going to do about the teacher crisis? They cannot keep saying they cannot afford it. It does not wash. The government needs to do something about it.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

29 August 2023

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (14:56): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector on the topic of teachers in the public sector.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: In November last year, the University of South Australia presented a report to the Australian Education Union (SA Branch), titled 'Teachers at breaking point'. The report claimed that teachers work well above the hours for which they are paid, with South Australian public school teachers working an average of 50 hours per week. Thirty hours of time worked is spent on tasks beyond face-to-face teaching. The proportion of teachers satisfied with their wages has dropped to 37 per cent, a majority of teachers are now working on temporary contracts and almost half of the respondents intend to leave teaching within the next five years.

The Australian Education Union are calling on the state government to allow teachers to be able to spend more hours engaged in face-to-face activities with students, provide a school services officer in every classroom to support staff and students and to offer a salary that actually reflects the work that they do every day. The union have indicated their intention to strike this Friday 1 September to ask for better support for teachers in schools.

My question to the minister therefore is: as the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, is he concerned about the workload and wages of public school teachers, and is the minister satisfied that the government is actually meeting its obligations to teachers as key public sector employees?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:58): I thank the honourable member for his question and his support and interest in public sector workers, particularly those who are very public facing, like teachers. We have a great deal of respect for and value workers in many of these areas, teachers included, as we do for other of those public facing, public sector workers, such as ambulance officers, or nurses, or firefighters. Teachers do an incredible job and are at the frontline of making sure our children get the best possible start in life.

We made a commitment from opposition that we have carried into government to negotiate and bargain in good faith with public sector unions when the industrial agreements come up for negotiation. We have started doing that as part of the negotiation with teachers. The sector of the government that deals with the public sector unions has had a number of constructive meetings—I think the latest today, from memory—to talk about some of the views of the union and what the union is requesting.

I think it's on the public record that the initial request from the union was just under a 25 per cent pay increase over four years. If my maths is right that would be somewhere around 6 per cent a year. We are considering that, but it would be almost double other recent outcomes that were achieved for public sector workers like firefighters, nurses and ambulance officers. We do understand how valuable teachers are, but we still are a fair distance apart given the outcomes that have occurred for other public sector workers.

The honourable member mentioned a couple of the other requests at the start of negotiations. I think it included a student support officer in every classroom, which would equate—if I remember correctly—to something like 6,000 extra SSOs, and the request for a 20 per cent reduction in face-to-face teaching would either be one day of school less for students every week of the year, or something like 3,000 extra teachers.

The non-wage components, the reduction in teaching time and the extra SSOs, equate to something like a billion dollars a year of extra funding that would be required. Whilst this is the start of negotiations—we will negotiate in good faith—we are still some way off and there is a gap between what the union has initially put forward and obviously what we are going to be able to sustain as a government, but we will continue those discussions.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:01): Supplementary question: if the government has so much respect for teachers why have they put forward such a meagre offer, and why aren't they ensuring that they are being appropriately reimbursed, particularly after so many years of COVID?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:01): I thank the honourable member for his question but, as I have outlined, what we put is in line with the outcomes in terms of pay increases that were achieved for other very, very hardworking public sector workers like nurses, like ambulance officers and like firefighters.

1 September 2023

The Greens are urging the Government to provide a better deal for SA’s public teachers as thousands of educators prepare to take industrial action today.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) has called on the Government to offer a deal which ensures sustainable teacher workloads, provides a School Services Officer in every classroom, and includes a salary rise of 20 per cent over three years to attract and retain public teachers and other educators.

The AEU’s calls come after a recent report by UniSA found that half of all educators will leave the profession in five years.

“The current offer is a slap in the face to public school teachers. After years of COVID, the pressure on teachers is higher than ever, yet they continue to be undervalued and underpaid,” said Greens Education Spokesperson Robert Simms MLC.

“Given that the government was willing to throw half a billion dollars at a university merger without even seeing the business case, it’s a bit rich to for them to argue that they can’t afford to pay teachers what they are worth.”

“The Greens stand in solidarity with all those public school educators taking industrial action today. We support them in their struggle for better pay and work conditions.”

Robert Simms will speak at today’s rally for public education on the steps of Parliament House at 11am.

6 July 2023

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:56): I move:

That the motion be amended by inserting after 'Adelaide University' the words 'with the following amendments:

In subparagraph 1(b) leave out 'non-commercially confidential' and after subparagraph 1(d) insert a new
paragraph as follows:

(da) the consequences for Flinders University'.

I take this opportunity firstly to indicate our position on the Liberal Party amendments, which we will support. They are sensible amendments. I will talk a little bit about those amendments and indeed about the amendments that we are putting forward, but first I want to make some general remarks about this process and convey my profound disappointment to the government for the way in which they have dealt with this matter.

The Hon. Nicola Centofanti highlighted the background to the push for a parliamentary inquiry. It was last week when I heard that there was the potential, there was certainly a lot of media speculation, that there might well be an announcement that the two universities were keen to start up a merger. I began canvassing with my colleagues support for the idea of a parliamentary committee to look into the proposal. It was very clear from the government's comments in the lead-up to the announcement that they did not support having any parliamentary scrutiny of the proposal. I think the terms that were used were 'denial', 'delay' and 'this has got to be dealt with quickly'.

On the weekend, I came out and indicated that the Greens would be moving to establish a parliamentary inquiry into this. I was joined at that announcement by the Hon. Frank Pangallo from SA-Best, who was supportive of the call, and also, on the same day, the Liberal Party came out and supported it as well. The Premier subsequently, a day later, indicated that he was initially against an inquiry because it would be a delay. Then he was in favour of an inquiry, but only if it was six months.

I think, as I pointed out in media interviews, it is for the parliament to determine how long such an inquiry should progress for. All members of this place were aware of the crossbench's intention to establish an inquiry. I was totally transparent around that and around the issues that would be canvassed by such an inquiry.

Rather than picking up the phone and talking to me and providing an opportunity for all of the parties to get together and nut out the terms of reference for a joint parliamentary inquiry, instead the Labor Party plays a political game where they spring this on everybody unawares in the other place and then try to ram it through here today. That is disappointing because actually I think all of us would have agreed to a joint parliamentary inquiry.

I do not think anybody in this chamber would have said, 'Don't have a joint parliamentary inquiry.' If you had wanted to do it, why not sit down and talk to us? Pick up the phone. That is all they had to do is pick up the phone and have a chat with me, maybe have a chat with the Hon. Frank Pangallo, who had also been working on the terms of reference, engage with us in a respectful way and we could have all worked out something, rather than coming here today with terms of reference that miss the mark and with a short-term reporting process.

This really, I think, typifies the arrogant way in which the Malinauskas government have approached this issue, the way in which they have politicised this whole merger process. It is profoundly disappointing to me, and indeed the Greens, that members of university staff across the two universities found out about this plan through a media story that was reported on Saturday night. No-one from those universities had the courtesy to actually let their staff know before Saturday evening. How disrespectful is that?

Then, to add insult to injury, you have our two vice-chancellors being politicised by the Premier holding a joint press event where the Premier takes ownership of this whole proposal, and then the government is too arrogant to lower themselves to actually talk to the crossbench before today around crafting some terms of reference for an inquiry and a process. So what we have, when we step into this chamber, is a shambolic dog's breakfast, which actually typifies the botched approach that the Malinauskas government has taken to this whole process.

It is interesting to remark that during question time I asked the Hon. Clare Scriven about the government's commitment during the last election. They indicated they were going to have a commission of inquiry into this proposal—that is an independent process—but instead what we have is the Malinauskas government running their own process, taking ownership of this, and the role of the parliament is just to rubber stamp. The parliament is seen as an inconvenience, an obstacle, to them pursuing their agenda, and that is disappointing because actually it is this parliament that is going to have to change the law.

If you want to make friends and influence people on the crossbench, this is not the way to do it—just a little tip. If you wanted to try to win people over to support your bill, this is a really curious strategy. We will see how it plays out, but it is a really curious strategy that they have embarked upon, rather than the strategy of collegiality and engagement with one's colleagues in this small chamber. It is disappointing, but anyway this is where we are at.

Enough about the process. What about the substance? All of the amendments that the opposition are putting forward we will support. I want to indicate in particular why I think the extension of the time frame is important. It has never been my intention or the intention of the Greens to try to frustrate on this issue. All we have said is that we have concerns about the impact on jobs, we have concerns about the impact on staff, and those concerns are shared by the NTEU, they are shared by a number of academic staff, and they are informed by the experience of what has happened in other jurisdictions around the world where there have been mergers—look at Manchester university.

Indeed, there was a survey that came out today that demonstrated that Australia's largest universities fail to deliver good outcomes for students and that the highest student satisfaction was among our nation's smallest universities. It is against this backdrop that the Greens wanted to have an inquiry to consider the issues.

This idea that we need to proceed with this at breakneck speed I find really bizarre. If the government needed to get this done in this quarter of the year, why did they only announce it on Saturday? Why did they not work to do it in the early half of the year, so that there was appropriate time for the parliament to work through the issues? Why was the engagement of the parliament at the end of the process rather than at the beginning? Why has the government's approach been: this is a fait accompli, sign along the dotted line, rather than giving the parliament the opportunity to consider the implications in a thorough way?

That is why I think it is quite reasonable for the opposition to propose an extension. It would be my hope we could get the committee done earlier than the Leader of the Opposition has proposed, but why not give enough time to appropriately ventilate the issues? We are supportive of those amendments.

To speak to the amendments that I am putting forward, one of the key issues in the media this week, which I found really astounding, has been that it seems no-one in the government has read the business case underpinning this proposal. The Premier has not read it. The minister for higher education, the Deputy Premier, has not read it. We know the Hon. Clare Scriven has not read it, but that is not unusual, with respect. She often does not indicate whether or not she has read reports, but I do not think she has read this one. It is not her portfolio, she will say—the catchcry in this place.

I know a lot of people in the community will ask, 'Why haven't they looked at that information?' At the very least, I think the people's representatives in the parliament should actually have an opportunity to access that information and that is why I am moving this amendment, because I think it is appropriate that the parliament consider those issues.

The final amendment that I am seeking to advance today is one that considers the implications for Flinders University. A fair point that has been raised with me is: what about people from low socio-economic backgrounds from Flinders University? I grew up in the southern suburbs, I am a graduate of Flinders University, and I know that a lot of people from Flinders University will ask what role they are playing in this process and whether they will get access as an institution to the same support that is being afforded. I think it is worthwhile adding that into the terms of reference, so that some of these implications can be considered.

It is disappointing that this is the process we have landed on. The Greens welcome an inquiry. We were the ones calling for it. We would have been happy to achieve a joint parliamentary inquiry. I just wish that the government had sat down and had a chat with me. I am not that difficult to deal with. I am actually quite nice.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Simms, I think we will be the judge of that.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I would have been very happy to sit and have a chat with them. Everybody knows I am really easygoing, and they could have sat down and had a chat with me and we could have nutted something out. Instead, what we have is this booby trap that has blown up in all of our faces today, the exploding cigar that one pulls out of the drawer and it has blown up in everybody's face. There could have been a different process that was adopted. I hope there is some collective learning from this, so that we do not do this in the future.

There are legitimate questions that need to be ventilated through this process, questions for students and questions for academic staff. I have to laugh when I see the debates about mergers and so on. There is often very little discussion around students and their interests. It is like the old saying that a hospital would be great if not for the patients. The universities do not work without students. They are a fundamental stakeholder group. They need to be consulted. They need to be engaged. I hope that the government starts to engage with them, starts to talk with them, starts to talk with the broader community, rather than just simply announcing these things as a fait accompli.

6 July 2023