SA WATER

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:28): My question is again to the Premier. Why does your government oppose amendments to the Waterworks Act to establish a visible, accountable, hypothecated fund to hold SA Water rate surcharges so that taxpayers can see that the proceeds from rate increases will be used specifically to pay for new water infrastructure as promised?

The Hon. K.A. Maywald: It's a hypothetical. It doesn't exist.

The SPEAKER: If I can ask the member for MacKillop to bring up the question and I will check it. I will call on the next question from the opposition.

Mr WILLIAMS: Mr Speaker, I will rephrase the question if you have a concern with it.

The SPEAKER: It is disorderly to ask a minister a question regarding something that has already been decided by the house. If that is what the question does—

Mr WILLIAMS: I do not think that this matter has been decided.

The SPEAKER: I will just check—or is currently before the house.

Mr WILLIAMS: It is not before the house, sir.

The SPEAKER: The question is orderly. My apologies to the member for MacKillop. The Minister for Water Security.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Small Business, Minister Assisting the Minister for Industry and Trade) (15:31): As a government corporation, SA Water is required to provide an annual report to the house. Provided in that annual report is a detailed set of financial statements in which it states quite clearly where money from SA Water is going. There is no need for an amendment to the Water Resources Act to ensure that the money we are collecting in the pricing structure, which we announced last December, will be moving into SA Water to fund the projects that we announced. We have a $2.5 billion investment, and that is a really good thing.