DESALINATION PLANT

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:02): My question again is to the Minister for Water. Will the desalination plant produce its first water by the end of July, in three days' time, as promised by the government? The government paid $46 million to AdelaideAqua in incentive payments to guarantee first water by December last year. It failed to meet that deadline and we were told that first water would then be achieved in April of this year. The government then announced that it was not going to meet that deadline and that first water would be produced by the end of July this year. When will we get water out of the desal plant?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (15:03): Again, I will help the—and I won't call him the deputy opposition leader because—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: You took an interjection on that yesterday, you goose. The way in which the question was posed is when will the first water be produced and then—no, when will we get the first bit of water out of it? My understanding is this: that we are on track for the first drop of water to be produced in the time frames that I have already said would occur. I have no evidence to say that we are off schedule in that regard.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: Madam Speaker, they are being very unruly—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: —and that's not a reflection on you, Madam Speaker; it's just that it is very hard not to respond to an unruly rabble that has its own internal difficulties, as we are aware of. Importantly, we are on track and continue to be on track for the completion of the 50—

Mr Pederick: So, Sunday?

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hammond, you are warned.

The Hon. P. CAICA: We are on track for the 50-gigalitre completion. We are on track for the completion of the desal plant and we are on track for the production, if you like, of the first drop of water that will come out of the desal plant.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition and the Minister for Water should take this conversation outside and not finish it here.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you are also warned.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. Caica interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, minister! The member for Davenport.