Press conference with Minister Butler, Adelaide – 17 November 2025

PETER MALINAUSKAS, SA PREMIER: Good morning everybody. It's an absolute pleasure to be here at Bedford in their Panorama site. I'm rapt to be here this morning with Minister Mark Butler, and I’ll say a few things about that in a moment; Minister Cook, who is of course the Minister of Human Services; and it's great to be here with Karenza, the CEO of Disability Trust, who I’ll also speak about in just a moment.
 
Today, it gives me great pleasure to be able to announce that we have secured a new owner for Bedford and that new owner, The Disability Trust, will retain all of the employees that are so critical to the operations of Bedford.
 
The Disability Trust is one of the nation's leading, most trusted suppliers and employers of people with disabilities in the country. The Disability Trust has a national footprint, and when they first entered into the process to be able to acquire Bedford we were rapt. Because we knew that in the event we were able to land a sale with The Disability Trust it would preserve all of the employees at Bedford into the long term.
 
From the outset, Minister Butler and I were looking for a long-term solution to the challenges that we have here at Bedford. We didn't just want to see a piecemeal approach or a short-term solution. We wanted to see a transfer of Bedford to a new trusted owner that would secure all of the employees here at Bedford going into the future, because every single one of these people matters. These are extraordinary South Australians who love nothing more than the dignity of work - all of the friendships that it provides, all of the critical support services that exist around a place of work is all orientated at Bedford for over 1200 employees. And making sure that all of them are retained in any potential transaction was absolutely critical as far as we were concerned.
 
As late as last week, it was becoming clear that the money was running out from the process that we had funded from the outset with the federal government, so it was crunch time to find a new buyer. If a new buyer wasn't landed through a multi-party agreement over the course of the weekend, Bedford would have been going to administration today in an unplanned way with the view of potentially going to liquidation. So we had to land a sale given that administration is imminent today.
 
So, this is the process as it plays out, then I'll talk to the contribution of the state government's name. Bedford goes into administration, but it does it in a voluntary way, in a way that is planned in order to be able to provide for the transaction from Bedford to The Disability Trust. All of the employees will be retained and, now, because of the contribution from the South Australian Government, the Federal Government and the National Australian Bank, we’ll see a seamless transaction without people losing their jobs.
 
So, for everybody that works at Bedford, for all intents and purposes, it's systems normal. They go to work, they continue to enjoy all of the dignity that being an employee provides, and they just maintain their function as we transfer from Bedford to The Disability Trust in an organised way.
 
Now that can only occur because of the partnership and the deal that has been reached between The Disability Trust and all related parties. That includes the State Government, the Federal Government, and the National Australia Bank.
 
The State Government's contribution on top of the $15 million we contributed earlier in the year is for another $6 million in the form of land here at Panorama. The Panorama site is owned in a way that is split between the State Government and Bedford Industries. The State Government will hand over to The Disability Trust $6 million worth of land here at Panorama for nil consideration, subject to basic caveats that are all about ensuring the work here at Panorama is maintained - that The Disability Trust won't have the ability to take over the land and then flog it off, for instance. So that's our contribution.
 
But that with and of itself wasn't going to be enough. We needed support of the Federal Government, which Minister Butler will talk to. But let me say this from the outset, we would not be in this position with the positive news that we have today without Minister Butler personally and the Federal Government. I know that Minister Butler has taken this up with the Prime Minister directly, and that this has required his approval.
 
This isn't an easy decision for the Federal Government to make. It's putting a substantial contribution on the table that has consequences to it - we're ultimately talking about taxpayers' money. I, for one, am very grateful that we have a South Australian in Minister Butler's portfolio because he has a familiarity and understanding about the value of Bedford and how, institutionally, it is important within the state. I know that when Minister Butler was contemplating his decisions and the calls that he had to make, at the centre of all of those frameworks around his decisions were the faces of the people that we were just with, and I think without that, we might not be in the position we were in today.
 
The other party is the National Australia Bank. I had a very important meeting with the National Australia Bank’s CEO on Friday afternoon. That then resulted in more engagements over the course of the weekend with the National Australia Bank, and they have had to make some important concessions here that without we wouldn't, again, have been able to have landed this deal. So my personal gratitude to Andrew Irvine, the CEO of National Australia Bank, and his team for coming to the party and supporting this transaction. Without their support, we wouldn't have gotten the result we were looking for..
 
The National Australia Bank could have sent this into liquidation. They have chosen not to. That is to their great credit. They have acted as a model corporate citizen in a way that I think represents the best visions of banking with compassion in Australia. I think that is worthy of recognition and I thank them for that. That was a really important meeting we had on Friday. We were very anxious over the weekend to get the news from them, and to be able to land that is something I'm very, very appreciative of.
 
Minister Cook has also been doing important work behind the scenes, bearing in mind that we saw the transfer of Balyana to the State Government some months ago. And there are a bunch of people there in supported accommodation environments that have to be compassionately cared for, and Minister Cook has been overseeing the effort to make sure that none of those people’s lives are turned upside down.
 
We've had to intervene as a government on a few occasions to make sure that there's a smooth transition there, and delay the timeframes to provide comfort and compassion to those people at Balyana, and Nat and her department have been overseeing that.
 
The point being that this has been a massive collaborative effort between The Disability Trust, the Commonwealth, the State Government, and the National Australia Bank to get us to this point. But you only have to see the faces of the people here at Bedford to understand why we've done this. It is a substantial contribution from the Government and taxpayers, but these are good South Australians who have worked so incredibly hard and have been very anxious about what their future looks like. So to now have it completely assured into the long term is something I'm really proud to have seen delivered.
 
On that note, I'll hand over to Mark who, again, I can't thank enough for his active engagement on this throughout the debacle from the start.
 
MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING, MINISTER FOR DISABILITY AND THE NDIS: Thank you, Premier. I've lost count of the number of conversations the Premier and I have had about this since July when it became apparent just how deep the financial hole Bedford had found itself in. He has taken leadership of this.
 
As a State Premier he could well have said these are largely organisations and services supported by federal programs, that's a matter for the Federal Government to sort out. But the Premier understood just how important this organisation is to South Australia's social fabric, it's been part of our state for 80 years. And without the energy and commitment of personal authority that the Premier has brought to this process over the last three months, including on Friday with one of Australia's biggest banks, I'm not sure we'd be in in the position to issue such good news today. So, I want to thank the Premier for his leadership here.
 
It's important to remember just what the precarious position was that we found ourselves in mid-July. Bedford got itself into a position where it, effectively couldn't pay its bills, and if both governments had not intervened with cash it probably would have had to shut its doors, literally, in the following week and the hundreds of supported employees we met just earlier today would have been out of a job. Bedford was, I think both of us took the view, too big to fail. It is such a big provider of employment services in South Australia. If it had fallen over, there simply was not another provider in South Australia of this scale to take on the more than 800 supported employees who are employed by Bedford. And they've been here such a long time. I mean, I've barely met anyone in there who had not been at this organisation for more than 20 years. I met Mark, who started here the day after he finished school at Salisbury North, aged 15, and has been here every single day for 46 years. And the position that we all confronted was people like Mark and hundreds and hundreds of others back in July simply being locked out of their workplace and left with very little opportunity beyond it.
 
So with firm, careful work, particularly because the Premier asked McGrathNicol to come into this organisation and have a forensic look at its books, and the ability we found through putting some money on the table, bought us time to test the market, such that we’ve got to an extraordinarily positive position here today.
 
The Disability Trust is well known to the Commonwealth Government. It's a very big provider of NDIS services and employment services for people with a disability. It started in Wollongong well over 50 years ago and has spread since through New South Wales and Queensland and Victoria and now into South Australia as well. It has a high reputation and the Premier and I are very confident, it certainly has the capability to take on this organisation, secure the jobs of all of those supported employees and ensure that Bedford, as a brand, has a very vibrant future for many years, hopefully decades to come.
 
In addition to the land arrangement the Premier has just outlined being put on the table, allows the administration to proceed in an orderly way, and we're confident - to secure this purchase. The Commonwealth has also put an additional $13.2 million in cash on the table to facilitate the administration and a smooth sales process that secure all of those hundreds and hundreds of jobs. We haven't done that lightly, as the Premier said. This is taxpayer funds, but we are very confident this is the right way to use taxpayer funds to secure this organisation, to secure the hundreds of jobs and ensure that the future is very bright for what is really a South Australian icon.
 
So now, I think I'll hand to Karenza who is the CEO of The Disability Trust.
 
KARENZA LOUIS-SMITH, CEO, THE DISABILITY TRUST: Thank you. Today is a truly special and significant moment for The Disability Trust and for everybody who has been part of Bedford’s remarkable story. And we want to acknowledge Premier Peter Malinauskas, the South Australian Government, Minister for the NDIS Mark Butler and Minister Nat Cook for their leadership in securing Bedford’s future. I also want to thank our board, particularly our Chair, Dr Peter Langkampfor their commitment to this process and to our local Director, Steve Balch as well, whose dedication in South Australia, for us, has been invaluable.
 
As we look ahead, our focus is clear. We will continue to work   very closely with the Administrator McGrathNicol to ensure that every single person with  disability connected to Bedford feels supported, valued and secure.
 
We will protect what matters the most, familiar routines, trusted relationships and meaningful work. And we invite the South Australian community to keep supporting Bedford as we begin this new chapter together to help it to grow, to thrive and to remain a place of purpose and pride for many, more generations to come. It's a terrific day and we're thrilled to be here.
 
JOURNALIST: Karenza just before you leave the microphone, the other investments that Bedford made got them into trouble in the first place. There is a facility, a very large facility in Salisbury. What happens to those assets, do you divest them or do you keep them?
 
LOUIS-SMITH: Probably not necessarily a question for me at this point.
 
MALINAUSKAS: Do you want me to…
 
JOURNALIST: If you like, Premier.
 
MALINAUSKAS: Look, so, obviously, the previous management of Bedford got the  organisation into an extraordinary amount of financial strife And there are many component parts that make up Bedford But part of the administration process, so we appointed- we appointed McGrathNicol some weeks ago to provide advice to the State Government, to the Federal Government, we appointed Bruce Carter to his position, to  oversee the whole enterprise. A lot of work has been done to work out what are the good parts of the business that are sustainable, and what ones aren't. That work though continues through the administration process. The administrator has received [indistinct]submissions from all creditors, not just the bank but others as well, as much funds as they can through the sale of assets.
 
Our principal interest though has been on the employees. So all of the employees regardless of where they work at Bedford today will maintain working at Bedford under new ownership tomorrow and that's the heart of it. But if there is parts of business that have been transacted or sold at Bedford for creditors, obviously there are a number, then that will be a matter for the administrator to make a judgement.
 
JOURNALIST: So, as it stands at the moment, the creditors that are presumably lined up, not just NAB, is that debt now retired? Is that- the taxpayer money has taken care of all of that?
 
MALINAUSKAS: No. So the part of the Bedford, as we understand it, the part of the business that got itself into such financial trouble, that goes into administration. The administrator is responsible for administering with the view of trying to extract as much value as they can for these creditors. Notwithstanding the fact that The Disability Trust has got a view about parts of the business that it will take over, and most importantly to us, because all of the employees … And when I say all of the employees, I'm talking about the supported employees [indistinct].
 
JOURNALIST: Can I just ask you another question? The Opposition today has FOI’ed parts of what this whole process going right back to the question yesterday. According to them, the state government loaned, a rescue package was approved by Andrea Michaels as Acting Treasurer on 10 July, yet you didn't announce that until the 27th of  July according to their documents. I'm wondering if that is the case, why was there a 14 day turnaround between approval and announcement while people in the interim were terrified?
 
MALINAUSKAS: I'd like to get some advice on that, Mike. I'm not going to take the state liberal party's analysis of documents.as gospel.But there has been a very substantial process that has been involved here, quite a methodical one. We also must remember that although the State Government is a significant party to the rescue package and outcome at this point… We're not the only one. We operate as a team, and I'm very grateful to be have been able to have done that with the Federal Government, namely through Mark’s office, to make sure that when we make an announcement we are in concert with each other without causing unnecessary anxiety to actually getting this across the line..
 
JOURNALIST: Without putting too much of a point on the recording of the meeting, this is their accusation not mine, that you wait until you’ve come back from your holidays to make the announcement.
 
MALINAUSKAS: That is just not true. And I want to see them make those statements on camera.
 
JOURNALIST: Premier, can you talk us through that moment in there when you announced to these hundreds of people that they were going to have their jobs tomorrow? Can you talk us through what that feels like? And is that something that was motivating you through the last couple of days and weeks.
 
MALINAUSKAS: It's motivated all of us. It's motivated all of us. Because, look, this volume of taxpayers' support has to be thought through carefully … we’ve been giving precedence  [indistinct] certain other considerations and at the heart of every decision we make is the people that work here, because they turn to government ultimately as an insurer of their position, as a body that is able to step in to be able to preserve what they enjoy so much, which is being able to come to work every day and get everything out of it.
 
These people that are working here aren't just doing a job. They're in the process of developing essential relationships that underpin their wellbeing. The other thing I've had on top of mind this isn't just the people that work here but their families as well. For a lot of their families, whether it be their parents or their brothers or sisters, knowing that their loved one can come to Bedford in a safe, secure environment, doing something productive, also provides them a lot of respite that is invaluable. See, the loved ones of someone with a disability knows that when that person comes to work at Bedford, it's safe, it's secure, and they can go on with how they're living their life while that occurs. And that's invaluable as well.
 
So it's not just people that work here, it's the thousands of other families that are reliant on Bedford to be able to provide that for them. You don't get moments like that very often in life in general. And it's just a really acute reminder of why all of us elected to important positions of office are here. It's to look after people that rely on government to look after them.
 
JOURNALIST: And in this bill, was it essential that the state government hand over land, to- it couldn't have happened without that?
 
MALINAUSKAS: No. Well, trust me, if it could have, we wouldn't have done it. [Laughs] Look, the truth is this is not an area of State Government responsibility. It is a Federal Government responsibility. But as a government, we weren't going to sit back and say, let's play the finger-pointing game. I'd much rather work as a team. And it's an approach that I've had with the Prime Minister and his Government from the outset. It tends to work. If we spend less time arguing about who's responsible for what, and more time just trying to find a way to get an arrangement arrived at, things can happen quickly. And time was running out here, right? The cash ran out this week. I can reveal today that the business was going into administration today with the view of going into liquidation, unless we got a sale landed, right? So we were at crunch time and that was very evident late last week. So we weren’t going to die wondering  here.
 
And just something that hasn’t been reflected on, is that there was a cost to taxpayers in the event that we went into liquidation anyway. Because everybody that was employed here would have had access to the Commonwealth's redundancy program that would have come at an expense to the taxpayer. Then we would have seen people going from paid meaningful employment into Centrelink. People would have lost their job, stopped getting the benefit of being employed and then started getting unemployment benefits. That also comes at a cost. So there a range of things that were sitting in the background here, but we wanted to act urgently. There was no point in dying wondering . These people matter and we weren't going to think twice about making a contribution if that's what it took to get it over line. Now, if we could have got away with getting it over line without it, we would have done it.
 
JOURNALIST: Minister Butler said before that they could all keep their Bedford tags. Is there going to be a rebranding process that happens here?
 
MALINAUSKAS: No, part of the arrangement is that Bedford remains the employer [inaudible] but will be owned by, The Disability Trust. And I’d like to thank The Disability Trust. The Disability Trust have been outstanding . We were looking not just for a new buyer but the right new buyer, and The Disability Trust having a national footprint, a record of being a high integrity employer in this environment has been very accommodating about the retention of the Bedford name

JOURNALIST: Premier, just on another matter, the Marilyn Swim is now not taking part in the sea, due to algal bloom concerns. There’s a parade that the actual aquatic event –
 
MALINAUSKAS: The latest advice I received Monday or Tuesday last week is that there were a couple of options that were being looked at about that event.
 
JOURNALIST: Yeah, but it's in the Marion pool. That's been announced today. Is that a vote of no confidence in the summer plan for keeping beaches open?
 
MALINAUSKAS: No, I don't it is. We understand that organisers are trying to deal with the risks as they see it. Of course, we've been really pleased that in recent weeks at the locations where the swim happens, there’s been no algae. We hope that maintains but we can't guarantee it, and we understand the reasons for their decision and we’re very happy to support them.
 
JOURNALIST: Is it a bad look though? When I say bad look, it's not a look that you want to see?
 
MALINAUSKAS: Given that there's no algae in most of the coastline at the moment, I think it's unfortunate, but I understand the reason why the decision was made.
 
JOURNALIST: On the asbestos sand saga, how concerned are you about its presence in South Australian schools, and do you have a message for parents?
 
MALINAUSKAS: Yes, so I've been engaged with Minister Boyer on this. He'll be standing up later today to provide an update on the work being undertaken.
 
JOURNALIST:. Just one more thing on COP31. You weren’t there for reasons that are blindingly obvious. Are you losing interest in this now?
 
MALINAUSKAS: No, absolutely not. I've been speaking to Minister Bowen about it, I've spoken to the Prime Minister about it, Minister Wong about it,  I might grab your ear Mark on the way out about it. No, absolutely not. You’ve got to make a decision and you can only be in one place at one time. But I'm very grateful to the state government officials who are over there, which I'm engaged with. But principally these are negotiations that are happening at the highest levels of international diplomacy. And I am very grateful that the federal government remains committed to doing its best to ensure Australia wins.
 
JOURNALIST: Would half a COP, the other half going to Turkiye, would that be better than no COP at all?
 
MALINAUSKAS: It probably depends a bit on what that looks like. I think there are versions though that could represent a massive win for the state. We still want to host COP, alright. COP is what matters. COP is what brings the tens of thousands of delegates. Whether or not there is an option for leaders to meet somewhere else is something that I'm agnostic about. What we want is the main game, which is COP, and we've got to remain resolute in pursuing that. If there are negotiations that transpire, I’m keeping abreast of what those are, thanks to Minister Bowen. We'll wait and see how it plays out.
 
JOURNALIST: Is there an understanding of when the northern water project will be completed?
 
MALINAUSKAS: At this stage, ideally we’d see water in 2032. We’re keen to produce water for when BHP needs it. There’s no point in producing water at the time through the Northern Water project. But there is no financial commitment to this. There's a long way to go before we reach FID. There's a long way to go before the state government signs up for any contribution. We want to partner with the federal government as well. We should be clear about these are projected timeline in the event that it stacks up for taxpayers. We're not making a commitment unless it does. That requires a binding offer from BHP, on the water at the right volume at the right price, at the right time. These are the very substantial, complicated negotiations which we are up for, that we’re committed to. But there is still the $200 million EIS program still in train. That feasibility study is progressing as well now. We're happy with where that's at. But as BHP changes their timeline, we work in concert with them.
 
JOURNALIST: It might be a bit awkward given the Minister standing here as well, but, are you happy with the funding that you're getting from aged care and health from the federal government?
 
MALINAUSKAS: It’s not so much about the funding that the state gets from aged care. Look, let's speak about it plainly. And it's not awkward talking about it next to Mark, because he and I talk about it all the time anyway. There is a challenge around the country of people who are ready to be discharged to aged care beds who are stuck in hospital beds, which is not good for the public hospital system, which is not good for the taxpayer from the state or federally. Everyone really appreciates that through a lengthy, lengthy period across at least over a decade of inaction around aged care service provision, we find aged care beds around the country.
 
Now, I'm very grateful that under Mark's leadership, the Prime Minister's effort, we've seen a lot of change in this area in recent years. Critical legislation passed from the federal Parliament last year, I think it was, that Mark can talk to better than I. There is action being taken, but there is a degree of urgency that is required here because the problem is acute.. To put it in context, when we came to government only three and a half years ago, there were around about 30 to 40 people in state public hospital beds ready to be discharged to aged care but waiting for a bed. That number is now just under 300. It's a real problem. But we are working collaboratively with the Commonwealth and we will continue to do that.
 
That's the back end of the system. Then there’s the front end of the system, and that's making a difference. The amount of effort that this federal government has put into GP service provision, the accessibility and affordability of GPs, actually helps prevent people coming to hospital as well. The state governments find themselves being the meat in the middle. The Commonwealth is responsible for what happens in the front end of primary health care service, and then the back end, aged care, and public hospitals are stuck in limbo. We've been working collaboratively between all levels of government to see appropriate patient flow.
 
JOURNALIST: We’re hearing reports that thousands of students still haven't received study plans. Are you concerned about the progress of the Uni merger?
 
MALINAUSKAS: No, not at all. The coming together of the new Adelaide University has gone far smoother than we could have possibly hoped. [It’s been outstanding. Far in advance of expectations, number 87 in the world, which is highly consistent but beyond our initial ambition. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done, but the whole program, given the size and the scale of the endeavour have gone very well indeed. This is the biggest amalgamation of any two universities ever happened anywhere in the world ever. It’s a big exercise, but there's a team of people that have worked really hard to deliver it.
 
JOURNALIST: Bedford has obviously had a lot of financial woes over the last couple of months. How are you guys going to do things differently, so we’re not standing here in two years having the same conversation?
 
LOUIS-SMITH: The Disability Trust has been around for more than 50 years. It's a highly successful organisation. It works, as you heard earlier, across the country. We'll absolutely thrilled with our partnership with the South Australian community. We'll be working with the community to ensure that we have a really strong and vibrant Bedford for many decades to come. We’re working very closely with the administrator to turn it around.
 
MALINAUSKAS: Thanks very much everyone.