The first Labor State Budget announced last Thursday by the new Treasurer, the Hon Stephen Mullighan MP will deliver on all the pre-election commitments made to the Light Electorate.

Local Member of Parliament, Mr Tony Piccolo said he was delighted with the budget as it honours all the commitments made to the electorate, leading up to the recent state election.

“Every commitment I made to the people in the Light Electorate will be 100% delivered,” said Mr Piccolo.

“This is a great result for the local community.”

The Light Electorate will be receiving significant funding in Labor’s Budget including:

• $6,8000,000 per annum (indexed) for 16 sub-acute beds at the Gawler Hospital

• $60,000 Apex Park Gawler (Disability infrastructure at playground)

• $100,000 Bacton Street, Evanston and Gawler West Playground upgrades

• $2,500,000 Mark Oliphant College Kiss and Drop off and car park

• $30,000 Nolan Reserve, Munno Para – Shade for Playground

• $380,000 Pedestrian Crossing Redbanks Rd, and Weyland Rd roundabout

• $600,000 Reid – New playground

• $530,000 Tambelin Station carpark

• $250,000 Veterans Shed in Gawler

• $4,800,000 Gawler and District Netball Association Courts

• $1,000,000 Karbeethan Reserve, Gawler – Synthetic Soccer Pitch

• $2,000,000 Establishing a Gawler SES unit

Mr Piccolo said the Light Electorate is also set to benefit from the Labor Governments initiatives funded in the Budget including:

• An additional $2.4 billion for health to help start to fix the ramping crisis, in the biggest investment in health in the state’s history, including:

-350 more paramedics and ambulance officers  

-300 more nurses  

-101 more doctors

-326 more hospital and mental health beds

-A once-in-a-generation investment in mental health

• $593 million for the green Hydrogen Jobs Plan

• $100 million for a new Economic Recovery Fund to drive the state’s post-COVID recovery

• $208.8 million for five new technical colleges

• Funding for a Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education & Care

• $177.5 million to build 400 new affordable houses and refurbish a further 350

• $128.9 million investment in child protection

• Targeted cost of living relief for those who need it most, including free public transport 24/7 for all senior card holders from the 1st of July 2022.

The recruitment process for additional doctors, nurses and ambos has already commenced and will start as soon as they become available during this term of government.

The Malinauskas Labor Government is also fulfilling its commitment of no new taxes, while returning to the traditional formula for indexing fees and charges, keeping increases to about 2 per cent.