DESALINATION PLANT

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:03): My question again is to the Minister for Water. At what point does SA Water start to pay AdelaideAqua under the operational maintenance contract for the Adelaide Desalination Plant? Under a contract beginning in March 2010, the government is to pay AdelaideAqua between $30 million and $130 million a year for the operation and maintenance of the desalination plant, depending on how much water is produced.

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:03): I will take that question on notice, but I will say this: I am presuming that the maintenance contract that the member for MacKillop refers to is an operating maintenance contract that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: —will come into effect when the desalination plant is operating in its capacity.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: We are on schedule for—

Mr Williams: Which schedule?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: —the 100 gigalitre completion of the plant by December 2012, and we are still on track to do that. I am a bit confused by the manner in which the member for MacKillop poses his questions, and he should get more across his shadow portfolio responsibilities so that I can make some sense of what he says.