If You Were the State Treasurer.......

[Squawk]

I starting to get sick and tired of hearing how we have a balanced budget but on the other hand no money to do anything. No money for roads, water, hospitals, public transport etc.

This government is a popularist one and is loathe to make hard decisions. Obviously it is not politically expedient to raise income taxes and there are cries to reduce payroll tax, stamp duty, land tax and the like.

I think it's time the government started thinking of ways to serve the community and reap a financial return at the same time.

If you were the State Treasurer, what initiatives would you implement to improve the State's financial position?

For example:

invest in power generation?
introduce toll roads?
raise fines?
make housing trust tenants pay higher rents rather than getting very low rent for life?
Means test school fees and hospital admissions?
Get rid of Chauffeur driven cars?
Set up fuel distribution and/or retail fuel operations?
Introduce new/more lotteries?
Buy a quality horse or 10 at the Magic Millions?

I'm not suggesting I agree or disagree with any of the above but some lateral thinking should be happening and realistically, why shouldn't government go full cycle and get back into commercial operations to return dividends to the state instead of relying on taxes, GST payments and competition payments?

Over to you...

[bayman]

i'd be rich

[Dutchy]

Get rid of Mortgage Stamp duty on loans...the bane of all finance workers, just trying to work it out!!! Victoria got rid of it

The political environment doesnt lend itself to governments spending any big $$$ on long term infrastructure which frustrates me...our roads are deplorable....driving to queensland last year and the roads in NSW were magnificent....you know when you hit SA without seeing the signs

[PhilG]

..

[our_longreach]

I'd tell mike rann to shove it, stay home and screw my 30 year old girlfriend

[mighty_tiger_79]

id be getting the train line through to footy park ASAP

[PhilG]

..

[Punk Rooster]

I'd send the State bust again
I'd get tram lines re-installed to key areas- The Parade, Port Rd, North East Rd, Prospect Oval (continue Glenelg line through city, past Adelaide Oval, up Jeffcott St etc), Glen Osmond Rd, Unley Rd & a city loop (North, South, East & West Tce), & Outer city loop (current circleline).
Extend rail through to Sellicks Beach (Noarlunga line)
Move National Rail Station back to the city.
Develop Prospect Oval, bringing it back to it's former glory.
Scarily enough, I would do all that & more!

[BenchedEagle]

Not bad, MT, but where would you run it? West Lakes is smack in between the Outer Harbour and Grange lines, and one of them (likely Grange) would be adversely affected. I think the higher priority as far as the trains go is electrification.

Id extend the tram line up North Terrace , Port Rd all the way to Footy park! Then id go home to my 30yo girlfriend.

[Sojourner]

Several things that I would organise,

Bring the Steam Ranger back to Keswick Station, then the white elephant might actually have a use. As well as making Steam Ranger a grant to restore a new engine.

Upgrade OBahn Buses to be able to take wheelchairs.

Have a private company bulid a dual carriageway to both Victor Harbor and Bordertown and allow them to recoup their cost by a toll on the motorists that use it, with a lesser toll applying for locals.

Pay for Football Park to have extensions as well as a spur line of the Grange Line.

Make Pubs give up their pokies and make them available in clubs only, with an exemption for SANFL clubs that they can have a double allotment.

Make the date that the South Adelaide footbal club was founded on, an annual public holiday for everyone to be able to celebrate!

[heater31]

Make Pubs give up their pokies and make them available in clubs only, with an exemption for SANFL clubs that they can have a double allotment.

Hell will freeze over before that will happen

[Punk Rooster]

Make the date that the South Adelaide footbal club was founded on, an annual public holiday for everyone to be able to celebrate!

I take it we'd need the whole day to re-live South's successes!

[Ian]

It would take the whole day to go back through the history books to find their success

[PhilG]

..

[TroyGFC]

Extend railway Noarlunga to Sellicks.
Extend tramway through North Adelaide, also down Parade to open up the suburbs to other people.
Realign the Grange line to Westlakes shopping centre and footy park.
Modify Southern Expressway to dual carrigeway.
Build a Snouts bar at Glenelg oval, along with real toilet block and underlights to make it the major sporting oval in SA.
Stay home and make love with a 18yr old exchange student.
Make Lake Bonney into a dam instead of the idea of blocking it off the Murray.
4 lane Fwy all the way to Bordertown.
I was going to say give Mitsi's more money but I won't be working there if I was treasurer!!

[Punk Rooster]

Stay home and make love with a 18yr old exchange student.

where's he from?

[Snaggletooth Tiger]

I'd take a page out of the Soviet's book
& set up Re-Education Camps for clueless bandwagon jumping nuffies!

[MightyEagles]

I'll do up every SANFL oval, except Alberton and Elizabeth.
Have the tram from town to Thebby and then to Woodville, then AAMI.

[JK]

I'd spend the day in the TAB with the former DPP

[Booney]

id be getting the train line through to footy park ASAP

....yeah,and a Tram line from Victoria Sq. all the way through to North Tce.YEAH.Then we could spend shite loads of money on,on....umm,Im not sure what on.How about?

Desalination? Muted by the Opposition here in SA.Promises,promises.

Education? The basics are a must,children must come first,buthow about (as REB regularly states) invest more in Adult education to rid the unemployment system of the unemployable and give new skills to them and the people who will no longer have careers in the manufacturing industry.(These people range from unskilled labour to executives,but hey,they will one day be looking for jobs out of manufacturing.)


Health.This will open a can of worms,but,I have once heard of an initiative to make smokers in the health system pay for the treatment they get,or,have a seperate system which tobacco companies must fund to cope with the tragedy created by them.Not saying this is the answer,just tabling idea's.

For some of the above,some good ideas.