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.