House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2) 51 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Water Billing WATER BILLING Mr HAMILTON-SMITH House of Assembly Waite Leader of the Opposition WATER BILLING Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:51): On what date did the Premier personally become aware that the government's new three-tiered water pricing system, gazetted for commencement on 1 July 2008, would apply to water used in the previous financial year, and how was he advised? The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly Ramsay Premier Minister for Economic Development Minister for Social Inclusion Minister for the Arts Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change WATER BILLING 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) (14:51): I was advised by technology. As members know, I went to New South Wales for the welcoming mass for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. The following day I was at a series of business meetings with people from organisations such as OneSteel and AGL, and later in the afternoon I met with the Premier of New South Wales, Morris Iemma. In the late afternoon or early evening I received a message from my office, and my response was, 'Fix it', and as a result we have apologised. We will refund money. We will change the 1932 Waterworks Act to simplify water billing, and we will ensure quarterly billing so that South Australians can better monitor consumption. That is exactly what happened. I guess we can compare that approach to— Members interjecting: The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: When did you know? You were part of a cabinet. We saw what happened with Lucas and what he said. We heard, of course, the statements made on Leon Byner's show (I think it was) by Mark Brindal, an exalted former water minister from the other side, who said that he did not regard himself as a dope but that he was in the dark as well. When I found out on Friday afternoon we moved to fix it, and we will refund. I guess the question is: when did you know and why did you not act when you were in government?