Speeches
Tuesday, 05 May 2026
Opening of the 56th South Australian Parliament
Kaurna Purkarna-alya Kaurna Miyurna-alya Yaitya Miyurna-alya Kumartarna yartanangku
Ngathu naa tampinthi Kaurna miyurna yaitya yarta-mathanya
Pukinanangku, yalaka, tarrkarritya
I pay my respects to Aboriginal people, whether from Kaurna country or other lands and regions.
I acknowledge and pay my respects to you all.
I also acknowledge that the Kaurna people are the traditional owners of this land, from the past, today and into the future.
Mr President, and the Honourable Members of the Legislative Council, Madam Speaker and the Honourable Members of the House of Assembly.
It is a great pleasure to be here with you on this day to open the 56th South Australian Parliament.
As a result of the election on the 21st of March, there are twenty-four new members of the parliament.
I congratulate you on your election. You enter these chambers entrusted with a profound responsibility, to represent your communities with diligence, integrity, and purpose.
May you draw on the wisdom of your colleagues and contribute meaningfully to the work of this Parliament.
Today I set out the principles and polices that will guide my Government in its service to the people of South Australia:
• The power of education to unlock opportunity.
• Access to world-class healthcare for every South Australian.
• The security of a roof over one’s head.
• And a steadfast determination to seize South Australia’s once-in-a-generation economic opportunity.
My government will honour the trust placed in it by the South Australian people and continue to drive our great state forward.
South Australia currently enjoys the fastest growing economy in the nation, with near full employment, record low unemployment, and the highest participation rate in our history.
More and more people, locals and newcomers alike, are choosing to build their lives and careers in South Australia, recognising the opportunity we provide and the quality of life we enjoy.
Yet, we meet at a time of global uncertainty, geopolitical instability, and economic volatility.
While our state prospers, many households face daily financial pressures, at the supermarket, in housing costs, and at the petrol pump.
The re-elected government is determined to meet that challenge, to ease the burden for all South Australians while continuing to preserve and raise our state’s enviable standard of living.
In its first term, my government invested over a billion dollars in practical cost-of-living relief measures, providing cheaper public transport, reducing the materials and services charge for students, and increasing and improving cost-of-living concessions.
This government will continue to provide targeted support to South Australians through a range of new initiatives, including:
• expanding eligibility for the Seniors Card to an estimated 80,000 additional South Australians over the age of sixty, unlocking free public transport and access to cost-of-living relief through discount programs with United Fuel and Romeo’s supermarkets.
• abolishing public school fees for all students and providing free school camps for year 7 students.
• expanding sport and music vouchers to 16 to 18-year-olds and providing free before and after school activities as well as during school holidays.
• providing opportunity for parents and families to increase their working hours and put more money back into their pockets through a major expansion of out of school hours care.
• providing more support for regional health patients by boosting the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme Accommodation Subsidy and expanding eligibility to the fuel subsidy.
• making IVF more affordable to help thousands of South Australians begin and continue their parenting journey, and
• extending the MetroCard to Murray Bridge, making it cheaper and easier for the residents of one of our State’s fastest growing areas, to get to school, get to work, and get out and about.
My government’s broader agenda reflects both ambition and responsibility, taking decisive action to secure South Australia’s future in an uncertain world.
Our mineral wealth will power the decarbonisation of economies worldwide, while supporting the growth of new local industries and strengthening assets such as the Whyalla Steelworks.
Our state contains 70 per cent of Australia’s copper, an element key to the worldwide decarbonisation effort, making us a leader in the global energy transition.
The realisation of this opportunity for our state demands truly transformative infrastructure.
Such plans include the Northern Water project, the largest regional infrastructure investment in Australia’s history, planned to produce the reliable, secure industrial water supply necessary for expansion of both heavy industry and our broader resource sector.
My government is already acting to secure our sovereign capability and energy security by establishing South Australia’s first sovereign gas reserve.
The development of the nuclear-powered submarine construction yard at Osborne will anchor South Australia’s role in delivering the nation’s AUKUS commitments and strengthening defence capability for generations.
But growth requires people and skills.
The government will continue its comprehensive reform of education and training, from early childhood through to university and technical pathways.
Three new technical colleges at Marden, Gawler and Murray Bridge will expand access to high-quality vocational education, equipping young South Australians with skills for high-wage, in-demand careers.
And the first graduates from the Osborne Skills and Training Academy will enter the AUKUS workforce during this term of Parliament.
This comes alongside the creation of over 2,000 new university, trade and upskilling opportunities for South Australians, a number that includes 1,300 trade pathways and apprenticeships prioritised for careers in AUKUS and housing construction – both key to South Australia’s economy and housing availability.
Housing remains one of the most pressing challenges facing our state and the nation, and my government is determined to maintain our position at the top of the rankings for growth in housing supply.
My government will continue to accelerate land release, invest in essential infrastructure, support strategic infill, and expand public and affordable housing options.
My government will also introduce incentives for new builds and downsizers, policies designed to put more housing stock into the market, thereby keeping downward pressure on property prices so they do not become still more unaffordable to working families.
A $1 billion Housing and Apartment Fast Track fund will invest $500 million to incentivise house builds, and $500 million to supercharge shovel-ready apartment developments in the CBD.
In parallel, investment in infrastructure will continue, from preserving land for future rail, schools, and hospitals to accommodate future growth, to completing the non-stop North-South corridor.
Health remains a central priority for this Government, because nothing matters more than the wellbeing of South Australians and the strength of the services they rely on every day.
My government will build on reforms to reduce pressure on emergency departments, expand access through additional 24-hour pharmacies, and establish dedicated mental health assessment units to provide more appropriate and timely care.
My government will improve regional health care, through hospital upgrades in Clare and Murray Bridge, training more regional doctors, bolstering regional ambulance services, and facilitating the delivery of more accommodation for regional patients through a new Ronald McDonald House and plans for a new Cancer Council SA Northern Accommodation Lodge.
My government will support those who care for South Australians with dementia in an unpaid capacity, and will place a strong focus on women’s health.
This includes the establishment of fee-free Women’s Health Clinics, the launch of a major public health endometriosis awareness campaign, establishing SA’s first-ever Virtual Pelvic Pain Clinic and making IVF more affordable.
Addressing domestic, family and sexual violence remains an absolute priority for my government.
We know this is not an abstract issue, it is a lived reality for far too many South Australians. Behind every statistic is a person, a family, a community impacted by harm. Our responsibility is to respond with urgency, with compassion, and with resolve.
We are committed to implementing the Royal Commission’s recommendations, driving meaningful reform that strengthens prevention, improves early intervention, and ensures victims and survivors are supported with dignity and care.
That means better coordination across services, stronger legal protections, and sustained investment in frontline responses.
My government will do its part to tackle the national aged care problem. Every day there are hundreds of South Australians – and thousands across the country – who remain in our hospitals because they cannot get an aged care bed.
While this is not a traditional area of state government responsibility, my government has chosen to act by pledging to establish a $250 million no-interest loan program to spur construction of new facilities, and to explore the development of a dedicated Health & Aged Care Precinct at the current Women’s & Children’s Hospital site.
This will ensure the right care in the right setting for older South Australians while tackling the biggest cause of hospital bed-block.
My government’s commitment to providing our young people access to the best possible start to their educational journey remains steadfast.
It is bringing forward the rollout of three-year-old preschool, building three new preschools and expanding five existing sites in areas of high need, and accelerating its program of infrastructure and facility upgrades for public schools and preschools, including inclusive environments for our autistic and neurodiverse students.
My government is proud to have taken decisive, nation-leading action to support the wellbeing of young South Australians, introducing a world-first social media ban for children under 16, delivering landmark reforms to strengthen civics and citizenship education, and banning mobile phones in our schools.
These are deliberate, values-driven reforms, designed to reset the balance for a generation growing up in an increasingly digital world.
And my government will go further, doubling down on its efforts to reduce the impact of excessive screen use and online harm, while investing in initiatives that keep young people active, connected and engaged in the real world.
Because childhood should be defined by learning, friendships, sport, creativity and community, not by algorithms, online pressures or misinformation.
This is about giving our children the best possible start in life, supporting their development, protecting their wellbeing, and ensuring they grow up healthy, confident and equipped to contribute positively to society.
Beyond essential services and economic reform, the government remains committed to enhancing South Australia’s global reputation.
Major events, spanning international sport, arts and culture, invite the rest of the world to look at us differently, strengthening our global reputation while attracting visitors, supporting local businesses and creating jobs across the tourism and hospitality sectors.
More than that, they are a powerful source of pride and shared experience for South Australians, bringing excitement and building community.
Honourable Members
This is a moment of extraordinary potential for our state; a moment defined not only by opportunity, but by the responsibility to ensure that growth is inclusive, that prosperity is shared, and that no South Australian is left behind.
The government invites all Members of this Parliament to engage constructively with its agenda, and to work collaboratively in the interests of the people you serve.
Parliamentary service is a privilege and a solemn duty.
While differences in view are inevitable, what unites you is far greater: a shared commitment to improving the lives of South Australians.
May you discharge your responsibilities with wisdom, with courage, and above all with integrity.
Mr President, Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, it is with immense pleasure that I declare the 56th Parliament of South Australia open.
My best wishes to you all.