South Australian government hands down state budget

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The South Australian government has handed down it's final budget before the state heads to the polls next year. This year law and order has become a major focus, in a shift from previous budgets where cost-of-living was top of the agenda.

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00:00This is Treasurer Stephen Mulligan's final pitch to win over voters delivering his last budget

00:08before the state heads to an election next year. While cost of living has been a prominent factor

00:14in previous budgets as the state recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and battled rising interest

00:21rates this year it's law and order which is the centrepiece. The government has presented a nearly

00:28$395 million package which the Treasurer has called the largest boost to police funding in the state's

00:35history. $172 million will go towards bolstering the number of sworn officers to 5,000 by 2030-31

00:44as well as funding to boost the number of road safety cameras and motorcycle police. Premier

00:50Peter Malinowskis says South Australia is a safe state and does not have the youth crime issues

00:56as seen in other states and territories but the investment in bolstering frontline police

01:02has been made out of prevention. We are keen to make sure that the government keeps on top

01:07of law and order. South Australia is a safe state to live in. Our youth crime rates are of the

01:15lowest in the country and we want to maintain that position. We've seen what can happen if

01:19you don't keep on top of it. A substantially smaller cost of living package this year, nearly

01:26$120 million aimed at families and school students with a new announcement to reduce the cost of public

01:33transport. Over the next five years $1.7 billion will be spent to address the growing demand on the

01:40public health system which includes a $117 million spend to grow mental health services. The budget will

01:48deliver an expected surplus of $179 million in the 2025-26 financial year but debt is expected to continue

01:58to grow and will reach $48 and a half billion by 2028-29.

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