SA Budget 2024: Here are the winners and losers

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The state government says this year's budget will focus on supporting South Australians who need it most as it pledges a $266.2 million cost-of-living package — while also keeping the budget in the black.

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00:00Struggling households are the biggest winners in this year's budget, 210,000 will receive

00:07a one-off $243 payment over the next three weeks.

00:12The government's doubling its sports vouchers program and expanding it to kids music lessons.

00:17Parents and caregivers will save $200 on public school fees next year and another 15,000 health

00:24care card holders will get access to public transport concessions.

00:28Another big winner is housing.

00:30As announced earlier this week, the government will spend $576 million over the next 12 years

00:37to build 1,900 homes in Adelaide's west and south.

00:41To make it easier to purchase a house, first home buyers will no longer have to pay stamp

00:46duty on new homes or builds.

00:49The state's education system, particularly early childhood, is another big winner.

00:54The government has set aside more than $700 million to implement universal preschool for

01:00three-year-olds.

01:01Two new schools will be built, one in Adelaide's north and one in Mount Barker, and skills

01:06training courses will also benefit from almost $700 million in extra funding.

01:13While there's new money in the budget for an arts investment fund and new spaces, the

01:18state's Aboriginal art institute, Takari, has missed out on a much-needed funding boost

01:23again.

01:24With the federal government's contribution still up in the air, the future of the North

01:28Terrace site remains uncertain.

01:31A huge $2.5 billion is being poured into the state's struggling health system, but much

01:38of that money will simply go towards covering cost blowouts, and even more will be spent

01:43on meeting soaring demand for hospital services.

01:46The government's also spending more on beds and ambulance services in an effort to meet

01:51its key election pledge to fix the ramping crisis.

01:55Overall, surpluses have been forecast over the next four years, but state debt is expected

02:01to swell to more than $44 billion.

02:05The Treasurer says the government's borrowing is affordable and sustainable.

02:09Even so, it's an eye-watering figure and a burden future taxpayers will have to carry.

02:16For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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