Question Time

DESALINATION PLANT

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:05): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer confirm to the house that the total cost of the Adelaide desalination plant has now blown out by $400 million to at least $2.2 billion? The original announcement on 5 December 2007 was for a $1.1 billion 50 gigalitre per year desalination plant, plus a $304 million pipeline project connecting the Hope Valley and Happy Valley reservoirs, totalling $1.4 billion. A recent government briefing to the opposition confirms that the interconnecting of the northern and southern supply networks, an integral part of the desalination plant, will cost $403 million in addition to the announced $1.8 billion cost of the desalination plant, giving a total cost of $2.2 billion.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Federal/State Relations, Minister for Defence Industries) (14:06): Madam Speaker—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Well, the Minister for Water may have, but I am a joint shareholder of SA Water.

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer will ignore interjections and answer the question.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: She is a clever person, isn't she? We will come back to the house with a detailed answer.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The opposition clearly wants to direct all questions to me, and that is fine. That is my job; I am happy to take them, but it should not be surprising that I don't have at my fingertips the exact cost of the desalination plant.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Given my previous efforts to give an exact cost to the house, I would much rather take it on notice and give the member a considered answer although, given what she has said, she has already had that from her briefing.