House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Question Time Desalination Plant DESALINATION PLANT Mrs REDMOND House of Assembly Heysen Leader of the Opposition 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 House of Assembly Port Adelaide Deputy Premier Minister for Federal/State Relations Minister for Defence Industries DESALINATION PLANT 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 House of Assembly 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 House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer will ignore interjections and answer the question. The Hon. K.O. FOLEY House of Assembly 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 House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. K.O. FOLEY House of Assembly 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 House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. K.O. FOLEY House of Assembly 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.