The South Australian government has released its 2026–27 budget, which shows a significant increase in projected debt and the introduction of specific measures to help with the cost of living.

南澳州政府已公布 2026-27 年度預算，顯示預計債務將大幅增加，並推出特定措施以協助應對生活成本問題。

The state's financial plan shows that public sector debt is expected to rise to $53.7 billion by 2029–30. This increase is mainly caused by large investments in infrastructure, such as the Torrens to Darlington project and the new Women's and Children's Hospital. Although the hospital has a budget of $3.2 billion, Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis admitted that the project is complex. He emphasized that inflation and problems in the construction industry have pushed costs higher, but he asserted that these expenses are necessary for economic growth.

該州的財務計劃顯示，公共部門債務預計到 2029-30 年將上升至 537 億澳元。此增長主因是基礎建設的大量投資，例如 Torrens to Darlington 計劃及新的婦女兒童醫院。儘管醫院預算為 32 億澳元，但財政部長 Tom Koutsantonis 承認該項目十分複雜。他強調通貨膨脹與營造業問題推高了成本，但他堅稱這些支出對於經濟增長是必要的。

At the same time, the government is focusing on securing more Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue. While there was a $794 million increase in GST grants, the state's share of the national total is expected to drop to about 9.8% next year. Consequently, the administration plans to argue more strongly for a larger share of these funds, especially since a federal guarantee is ending in 2030. Experts suggest that South Australia depends heavily on these federal payments because it cannot generate enough internal revenue to maintain public services.

與此同時，政府正專注於爭取更多商品及服務稅（GST）收入。雖然 GST 補助金增加了 7.94 億澳元，但該州在全國總額中的佔比預計明年將下降至約 9.8%。因此，行政部門計劃更強力地爭取更高比例的資金，尤其是聯邦政府的擔保將於 2030 年結束。專家建議，南澳州高度依賴這些聯邦款項，因為其無法產生足夠的內部收入以維持公共服務。

However, there is political disagreement over how to use these funds. The opposition, led by Ben Hood and Ashton Hurn, argued that the extra GST money should have been used to reduce debt instead of general spending. Furthermore, the government's $500 million cost-of-living package—which removes public school fees and increases support for seniors—has been criticized by the Greens. They claim it fails to address the rising cost of public transport, whereas the Treasurer maintains that the support is correctly targeted at low-income groups.

然而，在如何使用這些資金方面存在政治分歧。由 Ben Hood 與 Ashton Hurn 領導的反對黨主張，額外的 GST 資金應被用於償債而非一般支出。此外，政府 5 億澳元的生活成本方案——包括免除公立學校學費及增加對年長者的支持——遭到綠黨批評。他們聲稱該方案未能解決公共運輸成本上漲的問題，而財政部長則堅持認為該支持已準確針對低收入群體。

South Australia is facing a period of increasing debt due to major building projects, while it simultaneously tries to secure long-term federal funding to keep its finances stable.

南澳州因重大建設工程而面臨債務增加的階段，同時正嘗試爭取長期聯邦資金以維持財務穩定。