Jobs the battlefield for SA leaders

South Australia's big parties tried to convince the state's voters there would be more jobs under their watch on the second last day of election campaigning.

South Australia's major parties fought over who would be best placed to create and protect jobs, in the dying days of the state election campaign.

Labor quickly pounced on Opposition Leader Steven Marshall's unwillingness to confirm, in a Wednesday night debate, whether his party's planned savings measures would result in some teachers and nurses being sacked.

In a visit to shipbuilder ASC in Osbourne, Premier Jay Weatherill stood alongside SA Unions secretary Joe Szakac as he lamented potential job cuts under the Liberals.

Mr Weatherill wasn't subtle about trying to draw a comparison with Labor's "fight" for jobs either, including through its advocacy for a national shipbuilding authority at Port Adelaide.

"Jobs are our number one priority," he told reporters.

Opposition treasury spokesman Rob Lucas clarified on Thursday that no frontline jobs would be lost if his party takes government on Saturday.

"A Marshall Liberal government will not be sacking any teachers, doctors, nurses police or other frontline staff," he told reporters.

Upon releasing Labor's costings, Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said that guarantee was "a magic pudding that doesn't add up".

He said it was not compatible with the opposition's proposed efficiency of 0.75 per cent in the health sector - with reclaimed funds reinvested in other health initiatives - and a 1.7 per cent efficiency in non-health agencies.

"There are no ways of making the savings he is talking about without cutting services," Mr Koutsantonis said.

In their costings, the Liberals said they would spend about $300 million each year fulfilling their election campaign promises and ask government departments to save about the same amount annually.

If Labor remains in government, their costings show they would spend $550 million on meeting election campaign commitments and $2 billion in total on investing expenditure - covering projects such as level crossing removals.

The Liberals also tried to deliver a blow to Labor on Thursday in publishing a letter to Mr Weatherill from federal Health Minister Greg Hunt.

The letter expressed Mr Hunt's "significant concern" that a report into the safety and accreditation of the Royal Adelaide Hospital had not been released.

Mr Weatherill said it was only a preliminary report and claimed the move was aimed at distracting attention from Mr Marshall - who didn't hold a media conference on Thursday - going "into hiding".

SA-BEST leader Nick Xenophon, meanwhile, lengthened the list of policies he will push for if his party holds the balance of power in the state after Saturday.

He wants to change the law to introduce a defence for the use, supply and possession of a defined amount of medicinal cannabis and improve SA's Browns Well Highway to make it safer.

Labor also flagged its intention to establish a new space and defence precinct in Adelaide's north.


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Source: AAP


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