The Leaders Debate!

A debate is a debate, is a debate, is a debate. And a State leader’s debate on February 17 was no different. The leaders of the two major parties, Jay Weatherill for the incumbent Labor Government and Steven Marshall for the Liberal Opposition fought it out trying to influence the voting public of South Australia. The election will take place on the 15^th of March, a mere 4 weeks away, and already the gloves are off and the politicking has begun.

While the Labor Government has created a reputation spanning the last 12 years the Liberal Opposition has been a relatively new creation. When the Government oozed confidence and composure at the hands of Mike Rann and then Jay Weatherill, the instability within the Liberal Party prevented them from gaining office. For many a year, the Liberals mimicked the Federal Labor Party with leadership tiffs and attempted spills the South Australian public were not keen enough to trust them with the precious keys to the state.

That, so it seems is all likely to change, if opinion polls and the general consensus on the streets is correct. Almost 20 points in front of the government, Marshall is positioning himself a worthy leader for a State that in the last few years has gone from strength to strength in terms of new infrastructure and global recognition. Named as one of 18 Smart Cities by National Geographic, listed on Lonely Planets top 10 cities to visit in 2014 and the accolades continue Adelaide is fast becoming a tourist hotspot. That is not to say we are without faults, Public Transport, Mental Health, relationships in Rural areas and taxes are all issues that will play a major role in voters decision in the next few weeks.

But the writing may already be on the wall for Jay and his team. Whether that be a continuing result from the federal election last September or the ‘its time’ factor coming to rear its ugly head once again, one this is for certain the Labor Government have its work cut out for them, if they want to be returned for a fourth term in power.  While if the Liberal get into power, they will have their work cut out for them, trying to convince voters they have what it takes to not only ‘fix’ the state but to work with the Federal Government to get the best results for the state and not just follow party lines.

The Leaders debate not only brought up issues closely related to the state, but that are also (or are tried to be) echoed at a Federal Level. Women in Politics, budget surpluses and deficits and unemployment are major concerns and worries for people from all walks of life. The fact major parties say they want to see more women in politics, but yet they are scarcely chosen for safe seats during preselections, although the Opposition Leader was quick to point out the plethora of women in his shadow ministry – a stark contrast to that in the Federal Cabinet. Furthermore with the closure of car manufacturing in Australia, entire suburbs in SA look set to lose the major employment  option, which will have catastrophic effects of families if the government, whomever it ends up being, doesn’t not have a foolproof plan ready to put in place. Politics can be all fun and games, but when it comes down to people lives and families people need to choose the best option for them.

With the fierce campaigning going on already, the table is set for some hard core political action in the coming weeks, and like always I will be here ready to bring you up to speed on all the important stuff, so stay tuned!