WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:15): Once again I direct my question to the Premier, although it seems that we have relinquished our sovereignty—

The SPEAKER: Order! Get on with your question.

Mr WILLIAMS: Well, sir, I am just wondering about our sovereignty, because apparently it is—

The SPEAKER: Get on with the question or I will sit you down and call on the next one.

Mr WILLIAMS: Thank you, sir. Mr Premier, how much water could have been bought from upstream, or infrastructure built to stop leakages, or stormwater and wastewater projects developed, from the $1.6 billion extracted from SA Water over the six budgets of your current Labor government? The opposition believes that $1.6 billion would buy up to 19 years of Adelaide's water consumption, or the equivalent thereof, or could also build 1½ desalination plants, or could provide funding to upgrade the Christies Beach and Aldinga wastewater treatment plants ten times over.

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (15:15): Can I just remind the member for MacKillop to compare the capital expenditure by SA Water and by this government under this government with what happened under your government, when you even cut the funds for stormwater management, which we had to reinstate. But apparently you are going to use it much more wisely—$34 billion to underground Stobie poles, a couple of billion dollars a year—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: And a stadium—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Maybe it could double as a reservoir. Maybe that is part of the plan.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition.