Labor has pledged to increase the size of Adelaide's proposed new Women's and Children's Hospital as the party continued its health focus during the South Australian election campaign.
After Premier Steven Marshall announced tax breaks for new traineeships, Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas on Monday unveiled plans to add an extra 50 beds to the new hospital at a cost of $100 million if Labor wins on March 19.
Construction on the new $1.95 billion facility is scheduled to begin later this year.
"Labor will build a better new Women's and Children's Hospital with more beds providing more care for more women and kids for generations to come," Mr Malinauskas said.
Labor also committed to spending almost $40 million to employ 48 more doctors and 12 specialist nurses for the existing Women's and Children's.
Heading into day three of the election campaign, Mr Marshall promised to scrap payroll tax on trainee jobs if his government was returned.
The premier said the $18 million commitment would scrap the tax on all apprenticeships and traineeships for the next two years.
The concessions would apply to anyone who begins training between July 1 this year and June 30, 2024.
"We know it's expensive for a company to take on an apprentice or a trainee," the premier said.
"We want to make it even more attractive for businesses in South Australia to take on apprentices and trainees.
"We've got a big ambition to continue growing our economy. We're the fastest-growing economy in the entire country and we need skills to ensure we can keep that momentum going."
Mr Marshall said the government would continue to monitor the types of traineeships being offered to ensure gaps in the workforce were being filled.
He said there was no point in funding new positions "just for the sake of it".
"We really need to spend our finite dollars on those areas that are going to deliver that skills uplift that is going to continue to grow our state," he said.
The election promises from the two leaders came as the first opinion poll of the campaign showed Labor narrowly leading the government.
The Australia Institute quizzed 602 voters who put Labor ahead 51 per cent to 49 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
The poll also asked about the opening of SA's borders in November last year with 76 per cent agreeing the state government could have done more to prepare for the influx of COVID-19 infections.
"The perception that South Australia was not adequately prepared when the borders were opened is held across the political spectrum, with a majority of voters for all parties agreeing more should have been done," the Australia Institute SA's director Noah Schultz-Byard said.
