House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Water Pricing WATER PRICING Mr WILLIAMS House of Assembly MacKillop Deputy Leader of the Opposition WATER PRICING Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Water. What water prices, additional to those announced last week, will the community of South Australia face because of the federal government's carbon tax? The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly Colton Minister for Environment and Conservation Minister for the River Murray Minister for Water WATER PRICING The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (14:32): I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, but the way things are going, maybe the future leader of the opposition. An honourable member interjecting: The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: Don't think so? Well he got there with three votes. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: Madam Speaker, I will reinforce the comments of my friend the Treasurer. This side of the house believes that one of the problems confronting this planet and one of the major pressing difficulties that this planet will face is the level of pollution— Mr WILLIAMS House of Assembly Mr WILLIAMS: I rise on a point of order. The question wasn't about what the government believes about climate change. It was about what impact a carbon tax will have on water prices. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Sit down. I gather your point of order is relevance but at this stage the minister can answer the question how he chooses and he seems to be referring back to the need for a carbon tax. The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Quite simply one of the major issues facing this planet is climate change that relates to the pollution, amongst other things, and the way in which we as a species on this planet currently live, and it needs to be addressed. I would also say, too, it is very difficult to do. It is a bit like you asking me about the costs involved with respect to, amongst other things, the management plans or the monitoring of the management plans for the marine parks. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: Gone fishing, got a bite! It is very difficult to do a proper analysis, as we will do, as the Treasurer said, when the information that you require to do an analysis upon is not available. All that information will be more readily available once the commonwealth provides more details about the situation about the carbon tax, which this side believes is necessary.