Labor launches SA election campaign with land and housing promises
Premier Peter Malinauskas's speech included announcements relating to land development and stamp duty. (ABC News: Trent Murphy)
In short:
SA Labor has used its state election campaign launch to announce further commitments on housing, including the creation of a land purchase fund to boost housing development.
Premier Peter Malinauskas also unveiled his party's policy on stamp duty.
The Liberals today renewed attacks on Labor's health record, saying its failure to fix ramping cast doubt on its commitments.
South Australian Labor's state election campaign launch has homed in on housing, with the premier committing to a scheme for the purchase of land that would then be on-sold to the private sector to boost development.
At a mass gathering of his party's faithful, Peter Malinauskas also promised to abolish stamp duty for baby boomers who sell their homes and move into new builds — a policy Labor said would make larger homes available to young homebuyers.
Under the land purchase scheme, Labor said it would create a fund to buy up to $500 million worth of land for housing developments, with possible sites including the Department of Defence's Warradale and Hampstead barracks.
"This now means there is a perpetual half-a-billion-dollar fund sitting there," Mr Malinasukas said.
Mr Malinauskas delivered the speech to a packed gathering of the party faithful. (ABC News: Trent Murphy)
Labor said that the money from the on-selling of the land would be reinvested in the fund to enable further purchases.
"We don't want to see people land banking, making money off not building homes — we want to see industry making money because they are building homes, and our half-a-billion-dollar housing fast-track will see to exactly that," Mr Malinauskas said.
"[It] will see the government strategically acquiring land with the view of doing the master planning and civil works before ensuring it is then sold to the private sector under the condition that they get building."
Mr Malinauskas said the policy complemented one from October, in which he announced that, if re-elected, Labor would financially underwrite up to $500 million of apartment construction.
Labor MPs gathered on the steps of the Adelaide Convention Centre for the party's election campaign launch. (ABC News: Trent Murphy)
The party said the housing fast-track fund would be run by Renewal SA, that purchases would rely on land being sold at a "fair value or below", and that the selection of sites would depend on the likelihood of a developer being "able to bring a housing precinct to market within five years".
In a half-hour speech at the Adelaide Convention Centre, Mr Malinauskas also outlined his party's plan to scrap stamp duty on new homes for people aged 60 or over.
Labor said that to be eligible, the purchaser would have to sell their "existing principal place of residence" and buy a "new or off-the-plan dwelling" with a value of no more than $2 million and "with a land or apartment size smaller than their existing principal place of residence".
It said the value of the savings on a $2 million home would be about $103,000, and that the policy was expected to cost $70 million "over the forward estimates".
"A lot of baby boomers around the state would have been pretty happy about that news this morning," Mr Malinauskas told Labor supporters.
"By removing stamp duty for them … they will have the opportunity to go into a new build and free that home up for a young South Australian family."
Ramping remains sore point
Labor said its stamp duty policy would have a more beneficial impact on the housing market than the one announced by the Liberals at their election launch a fortnight ago — but Liberal MP Ben Hood said the Labor plan would lead to minimal gains.
"A couple of hundred people will benefit from this and it will be probably in about four years' time, that's how long they're going to have to wait," he said.
"And how many homes will be built at the end of the decade? These are the questions that need to be put to Premier Peter Malinauskas."
Both major parties today released election booklets, with Mr Hood seen here holding up one critical of his opponents. (ABC News)
At the last state election, Labor swept to power on the back of a promise to "fix the ramping crisis" afflicting the state's health system.
Mr Hood was critical of Labor's health record, saying its failure to achieve that goal was proof its promises "have no value".
"Four years ago, Peter Malinauskas stood on a stage very similar to the one he's standing on right now and promised the people of South Australia that he would fix the ramping crisis," Mr Hood said.
"Ramping has doubled in this state in the last four years."
Asked about the issue, Mr Malinauskas referred to the "ramping challenge".
He said his party had "acknowledged that we're not perfect", but said it had delivered on the overwhelming majority of its promises, including in health.
"When people call triple-zero today with a life-threatening emergency, the ambulance is rolling up on time when four years ago it rolled up late," he said.
One Nation welcomes 'real test'
Labor was not the only party to officially kickstart its campaign this weekend.
One Nation — which has polled more strongly than the Liberals in recent surveys — held its launch on Saturday night.
One Nation's leader Senator Pauline Hanson, lead SA candidate Cory Bernardi and federal MP Barnaby Joyce at the party's SA campaign launch. (ABC News)
Leader Pauline Hanson said while the party appeared to be picking up support from across the political spectrum, the SA election was shaping as a chance to test its momentum.
"It is a test by all means to see how the public feel about it," Senator Hanson said.
"And I know you have your polling, but it's not the actual voting day — but the feeling that I have, it's a groundswell of support, there's a movement on around the country, and I'm picking up and I'm feeling that.
"The real test will come on the 21st of March."