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ABC News
ABC News
National
By Camron Slessor

Who are the winners and losers in South Australia's budget?

It is the second budget delivered by Steven Marshall's State Government, with promises of funds for those wanting to get into the housing market and a new hospital. Find out what this year's budget means for you.

Winner: Education

  • The State Government will invest $1.4 billion in school and Vocational Education and Training (VET) infrastructure over four years.
  • Capital upgrades to state schools will receive $185.3 million to facilitate the transition of Year 7 into high school in 2022.
  • The Government has also started a project with Telstra, worth more than $80 million, to connect state schools to high-speed internet.
  • A food, hospitality and tourism hub at Lot Fourteen, at the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, will receive $60 million over three years for construction.
  • There will be an additional $25.2 million provided over four years to TAFE SA, to allow it to reform its operations to become more competitive in the VET sector.

Neutral: Health

  • The State Government will provide $550 million for the construction of the new Women's and Children's Hospital, although it will not be finished until 2025 at the earliest.
  • Reactivating the Repatriation General Hospital site as a health precinct will come at a cost of $69.1 million over four years, with $5 million in 2018-19 to establish a statewide eating disorder service there.
  • Stage three of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital redevelopment will receive an investment of $264 million.
  • A total of $97 million will be provided for upgrades and services at the Modbury Hospital, including a new acute surgical ward for more complex elective surgery.
  • Additional funding of $6.7 million in 2019-20 will support the finalisation of the state's transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
  • The SA Health budget had an overspend of $238 million in 2018-19.

Loser: Taxpayers

  • South Australians will face a one-off increase to fees and charges of five per cent, including licences, car registration and traffic fines.
  • The payroll tax compliance and land tax surcharge will end a loophole generating at least $40 million extra a year.
  • Revenue SA will undertake additional payroll tax compliance work to ensure all taxpayers are complying with payroll tax obligations.
  • There will be a land tax surcharge on certain trusts to provide a level playing field for all taxpayers.

Winner: Housing

  • The State Government will create a $104.5 million housing stimulus package to support construction and low-income earners.
  • It includes an interest-free deposit gap loan of up to $10,000, funded via an Affordable Housing Fund of $2 million, to be administered by HomeStart, available from September 1, 2019 for two years.
  • The package includes $21.4 million for the SA Housing Authority to undertake a housing construction program in 2019-20 and 2020-21 to build about 90 homes.

Loser: Events

  • As previously revealed, $1.6 million has been scrapped by the State Government for Brand SA, which promoted the state.
  • $2 million has been saved in the axing of the Adelaide Fashion Festival. Funding was also slashed for the Adelaide Motorsport Festival.
  • It will provide $6 million in 2018-19 in additional support for film production in the state.
  • SA will not participate in Euronaval exhibition in Paris 2020.

Winner: Regional SA

  • $1.1 billion will be provided over eight years for regional road projects and transport infrastructure upgrades.
  • $7.5 million will be provided over three years to implement a red meat and wool industry program to help improve farm productivity.

Winner: Space and defence

  • The State Government will give additional funding of $588,000 over two years for the establishment of international defence companies at Lot Fourteen, which builds on the $1 million announced in last year's budget to support the Australian Space Agency at the site.

Neutral: Mining

  • The State Government will provide $10 million over three years to support industry co-funded exploration activities, driving new major mineral discoveries and growth in the mining sector.
  • The funding will help identify new groundwater resources, promote concept testing in new technology and enable faster access to data.
  • It will increase the annual exploration regulation licence fees for the Gawler Craton area and for the zone within 200 kilometres of Olympic Dam.

Winner: Environment

  • The State Government will provide $52.4 million over four years to protect beaches, including West Beach, and fund a range of regional coastal works. This includes $48.4 million for sand carting and sand replenishment on the metro coastline.
  • The State Government will support the Murray River by providing $9.4 million over four years to operate, maintain and monitor assets built under the SA Riverland Floodplains Integrated Infrastructure Program for the state to meet its basin plan obligations.
  • $11.8 million will be provided by the State Government for state parks and open spaces.

Neutral: Roads and transport

  • The State Government will provide $834 million over four years for road safety measures.
  • The spend includes $692 million for new road infrastructure projects.
  • Another $75.5 million will go towards road works including resurfacing on the Sturt Highway, Barrier Highway, Eyre Highway and Princes Highway.
  • $92 million will be given to duplicate Victor Harbor Road from Main South Road to McLaren Vale.
  • As announced before the budget, $252 million has been locked in over the forward estimates for the North-South Corridor between the River Torrens and Darlington, with the Federal Government to provide half the funds.
  • $26.5 million has been announced to widen Flagstaff Road in Adelaide's south.
  • Public transport fares will rise — 10 cents for a single ticket, and seven cents for the cost of a single fare using a MetroCard.
  • The Tonsley railway station will close to allow for work on the Flinders Link project, and may be relocated.
  • The State Government has locked in funding for the Gawler rail electrification and park and ride facilities on the O-Bahn Busway.

Winner: Indigenous affairs

  • The State Government will put $150 million towards the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Gallery at Lot Fourteen.
  • $75 million will go to addressing critical housing needs for people in remote communities.
  • $718,000 will be contributed to facilitate the transition of Mintabie to the control of the APY Lands.

Winner: Water security

  • A water modernisation and transition package of $12 million will be allocated over four years with $10 million of that to assist councils and the waste management industry.
  • The State Government will spend $390 million to install a solar PV generation and storage solutions to enable SA Water to achieve zero net electricity costs from 2020.
  • $155 million for the construction of the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme which will supply treated water from the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Northern Adelaide Plains.

Winner: Law and order

  • The State Government will purchase the Sir Samuel Way Building in Victoria Square for $43.5 million, ceasing obligation for the Courts Administration Authority to pay rent to use the building.
  • An extra $1 million has been committed to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for complex criminal cases.
  • The State Government has committed to purchasing a new $2.1 million CT scanner for Forensic Science SA.

Neutral: Employment

  • There will be a notional reduction of 1,588 full-time positions in the public sector in the next year.
  • The Government has retained 1,403 jobs under the provisional service of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
  • The Government will also offset "massive" growth in teacher numbers with non-frontline workers.
  • There will be almost 1,400 new teachers and support staff across the forward estimates to deal with surging enrolments.

Neutral: Welfare and victims

  • Grant funding to the Victims Support Service, which currently receives $1.2 million per year from the Attorney-General's Department, will be cut.
  • The Women's Domestic Violence Court Assistance Service will lose $150,000 a year.
  • $3 million will be provided over three years for a two-year trial of an intensive family support program to assist vulnerable families in northern Adelaide.
  • Additional resources of $26.9 million will be provided over three years to meet additional costs for children in out-of-home care.

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