Justice, Opportunity and Shared Wealth for all South Australians

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2018 Party Report Card

SACOSS is promoting its policy platform to all parties contesting the election and our aim is to get broad cross-party support for all the policies and initiatives we are proposing. Our analysis of the parties' positions is in two parts:

  • Major parties' responses to each of our policy proposals
    This outlines the responses of the three parties who will be contesting to form government in South Australia, that is: Labor, Liberal and SA Best.
  • Other parties responses
    There are currently 4 other parties in the Legislative Council. These parties have crucial votes on legislation and can also play valuable roles in highlighting issues in and outside parliament and promoting policy initiatives that the major parties are not considering.

The scoring of policies on report cards is always difficult because we are not always comparing like-for-like, and the government party obviously has the advantages of Treasury and Departmental resources to assess and develop proposals, whereas a wise opposition needs to be more prudent in what they promise. By contrast, smaller parties not likely to be in government can make promises more easily. This was taken into account in assessing the policy positions.

For a quick summary, see our media release.

 

Major Party Responses to the SACOSS agenda

The tables below shows the positions of the three parties that will be key in contesting/forming government in the lower house in this election in relation to each of the policies in the SACOSS policy platform. The assessment is based on published party policies, or responses directly to SACOSS. It largely does not take account of existing government policy as it is assumed (unless there are announcements to the contrary) that these will continue, and that the SACOSS agenda highlights particular gaps which need addressing.

The scoring system is simple:

Tick Party is supporting the policy and will implement it if in government
Half Tick Party supports some of the policy and will implement part of it if in government
Cross Party rejects or will not be implementing the policy
Half a cross Party has not explicitly rejected policy, but has other policies opposing direction
Snowflake Party supports a different initiative which equally addresses the same issue
  Party has made no response on this policy

 

Where possible, the source of the policy is stated or the symbols link to the relevant party policy document.

Download the major party responses to the SACOSS platform.

Labor Liberal SA Best

 

Go to parties policies on

Digital Inclusion

Cost of Living

Children, Young People & Families

Sector Support

Gambling Harm Prevention

Health, Housing & Justice

Tax, Expenditure & Sector Funding

 

 

Digital Inclusion

  Labor  Liberal  SA Best
A comprehensive approach to DI (statewide plan/policy package)

Tick

Committed to state strategy; schools internet & laptopsfishbone broadband & Dept of Digital Innovation

Tick

Committed to state plan, mobile black spot program, & wi-fi audit & other measures

Tick

Support for audit of gaps; blackspot funding

Provision of free public wi-fi in areas of digital disadvantage

Half Tick

Dept to look into it

Half Tick

Audit promised

General support

Un-metered (free) access to government websites   Will consider, but unable to commit without costing  
Funding for increased data on digital inclusion in regional areas      
Project to increase sector's digital capability

 

Agreement to work with SACOSS to explore project

Will consider funding request in next budget  
Online education for prisoners   See Health, Housing Justice below  
Maintain services for non-digital citizens      

 

Digital inclusion has been the flagship of the SACOSS election campaign, and we were particularly keen to see the parties develop initiatives to address this emerging area of social and economic disadvantage. Accordingly, the headline ask is more important than the particular policies. Both Labor and Liberal have committed to the development of a statewide Digital Inclusion Plan, while SA Best has proposed an audit of connectivity gaps. The parties have also announced big digital inclusion measures beyond SACOSS policy proposals as referenced above.

SCORE: Labor 4.5 stars, Liberal 4 stars, SA Best 3 stars

 

Cost of Living

  Labor  Liberal  SA Best
Replace flat-rate energy concession to a percentage of the bill

Snowflake

See below

Will discuss

Half Tick

Support for investigation

Land tax concessions for landlords investing in energy efficiency Cross Will discuss

Snowflake

$1m pilot program

Free home energy audits for non-concession low income households   Will discuss  
Ensure REES energy audits are done by NGO vulnerability experts Prefer status quo, but open to discuss Will benchmark for quality  
Introduce a residential energy efficiency disclosure scheme Not considering it, but open to discuss    
Water supply charges to default to landlords not renters

Half Tick 

Review promised

 

Half Tick

Open to Review

Revise processes to engage water customers before cut-off   Tick

Half Tick

Review

Provision of free public w-fi in areas of digital disadvantage

Half Tick

New Dept to look into it

Half Tick

Audit promised

 
Un-metered (free) access to government websites      

 

Cost of living was perhaps the most disappointing area of the report card. SACOSS' major proposal was the move to a percentage based energy concession. While SA Best agreed to investigate it, neither Labor or Liberal even went that far. However, Labor has made a number of welcome changes in concessions in recent years (indexation and a new cost of living concession), and the new deal with Origin Energy potentially provides considerable cost savings to concession card holders. In addition, the Virtual Power Plant aimed initially at Housing Trust house clients will assist a number of people on concessions.

The other aspect of energy costs is the overall system design and prices, and all parties have announced policies to bring down energy prices. The comparison here is difficult as the modelling is highly assumption-dependent and price is only one consideration - alongside dependency and climate impact. Of the key policy proposals, SACOSS rates the Virtual Power Plant announced by Labor as the initiative most likely to benefit the broadest number of households on the lowest incomes, but we also acknowledge that the Liberal Household Storage Subsidy Scheme will be means-tested to enable low income households to access the scheme while SA Best's community-based retailer will also be targeted to middle and low income households.

SCORE: Labor 3 stars, Liberal 2 stars, SA Best 2 stars

 

Children, Young People and Families

  Labor  Liberal  SA Best
Amend Child Safety Act to mandate "best interests of children" Cross Tick Tick
Legislation to ensure focus on early intervention & children's best interests

Half Tick

Tick

Tick
Funding for prevention and early intervention

Half Tick

Not our full ask, but significant investments made & promised

  Tick
Establish a Commissioner for Aboriginal Children & Young People Tick

Tick

Assistant Commissioner

Tick
Support for young people in out-of-home care until 21 years old

Half Tick

Promise to extend current care, but details not clear

Half Tick

Yes re foster carers, not commit re others in OOHC

Tick

 

SACOSS welcomes the fact that all parties have committed to the introduction of legislation to mandate harm prevention and early intervention initiatives. While SA Best has agreed to all SACOSS policy proposals, at the time of assessment they had not announced a detailed child wellbeing policy.

SCORE: Labor 3 stars, Liberal 3.5 stars, SA Best 4 stars

 

Sector Support

  Labor  Liberal  SA Best
Commit to agreed principles for funding of NFP sector (DPC 044)

Tick

Tick

Tick
Commit to standard indexation policy (as per Cabinet decision)

Tick

Tick Tick
Finalise negotiations and implement standard NFP funding contracts

Tick

Tick Tick
Extend Late Payment of Government Debt Act to all NFPs Tick Half Tick Tick
Project to increase sector's digital capability Agreement to work with SACOSS to explore project Will consider funding request in next budget

Tick

 

We are particularly pleased that all parties have supported the current moves to improve the funding regime for not-for-profits – and that Liberal and Labor have announced additional initiatives to support the sector.

The Labor Party have promised portable long service leave for workers in our sector which would be a major contribution to supporting and retaining workers in our sector, while the Liberals promise to abolish fees for DCSI screening of volunteers is welcome in minimising a cost and barrier to volunteering in our sector. Labor have also agreed to abolish such fees for volunteers over 50 years old (Source: Parties' responses to Volunteering SA&NT survey).

SCORE: Labor 4.5 stars, Liberal 4 stars, SA Best 4 stars

 

Gambling Harm Prevention

  Labor   Liberal  SA Best
Introduce $1 per spin bet limits on poker machines Cross Cross Tick
Reduce number of pokies to 12,000    

Bigger reduction proposed

Remove EFTPOS machines from gaming areas

Cross

Voted against this in 2017

Cross

Voted against this in 2017

Tick
Fund consumer protection & harm prevention advocacy      

 

Of the major parties SA Best score is the highest, although the strongest policy addressing gambling harm prevention from poker machines in this election is the Greens Policy to remove pokies from clubs and pubs, limiting them to the casino. 

The Liberal and Labor position essentially support the existing harm prevention measures in relation to poker machines (hence the 1 star rating), although both note the problems with the rise of online gambling, which SACOSS agrees is an issue which needs urgent attention. 

SCORE: Labor 1 star, Liberal 1 star, SA Best 4.5 stars

 

Health, Housing and Justice

  Labor  Liberal  SA Best
Establish a Connected Health for All Strategy

Half Tick

Existing HIAP & Public Health Partnerships is part measure

Half Tick

Half Tick

Explicit support, but SA Best health policy is largely hospital focused

Separate Chief Public Health Officer from Chief Medical Officer Role Tick Tick
Establish 2 comprehensive primary health care centres

Snowflake

Will seek Fed funding for centres, but other initiatives inc $15 for preventive health

Would need to consult further given major investment required

Half Tick

In principle support

Commit to resourcing mental health strategy Tick

Tick

Tick
Increase stock of public housing Snowflake   Half Tick
Online education for prisoners Snowflake Half Tick Tick
Implement income-based fines Cross Cross

Half Tick

Open to investigation

 

Two very pleasing things to emerge from all the parties in response to our Health policy proposals were a) renewed recognition from all parties of the importance of investments in disease prevention and early intervention through community based primary health services – expressed differently by each of the parties; and, b) unanimous commitment to maintain and develop stronger community services and support for people who have mental health issues.

The other big policy area in this section of our report card is Housing. Given its importance we were disappointed no party was prepared to categorically say that there would be more public housing at the end of their term of government than at the beginning but we welcome Labor’s commitment to invest $150m in Housing Trust stock renewal.  The Liberal party proposes a major audit of current stock amalgamating the functions of Renewal SA and Housing SA, and a 30% increase in stock transfers to community housing providers with a view to a building a robust social and public housing sector. The Labor party points to existing investments in stock renewal, stimulus investments, stock transfers to community housing organisations, the previously announced “New Foundations” accommodation and support service for prisoners on release, a new $8m investment to support people transition to secure housing from homelessness. SA-Best supports the idea of a stock audit and sees a priority in ensuring older people have access to secure, affordable and appropriate housing. While the parties all get some credit for their initiatives, Labor’s suite of policies clearly appears most likely to help move back to growth in the public housing estate.

SCORE: Labor 4 stars, Liberal 3.5 stars, SA Best 4 stars

 

Tax, Expenditure and Sector Funding

  Labor  Liberal  SA Best
Commit to no un-announced net cuts to health & community services Tick   Half Tick

 

Labor have committed to no un-announced cuts to NGO health and community services, but have already announced an efficiency dividend/cut and there is no detail on how this will impact on the sector. However, given that no cuts to NGO services have been announced as part of the efficiency dividend, we take the commitment at face value and expect funding of services to be maintained.

At the time of assessment, the Liberals had not released their election funding, but have promised large tax cuts which will cut available revenue and have also indicated that they will use "efficiency dividends" to balance the budget.

SA Best has given a strong commitment to preserving funding for sector services, but has also promised substantial tax cuts and the full election costings are unclear.

 

Authorised by Ross Womersley, 47 King William Road, Unley SA 5061

Published Date: 
Saturday, 3 March 2018