House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Desalination Plant DESALINATION PLANT Mr WILLIAMS House of Assembly MacKillop Deputy Leader of the Opposition DESALINATION PLANT Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:52): My question is to the Minister for Water Resources. By how much will household water bills increase in South Australia to cover the $46 million paid to AdelaideAqua to deliver first water by December 2010—a target not met—and to also cover the additional $43 million of contracts let by SA directly related to the Adelaide Desalination Plant, in addition to the $1.84 billion contract with AdelaideAqua to design, build and operate the desalination plant? The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly Colton Minister for Sustainability Minister for Water and the River Murray Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation DESALINATION PLANT The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:53): Of course, as has been seen on previous occasions, questions that are asked with statistics and figures that are provided are not always based in fact. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. Mr WILLIAMS House of Assembly Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker: I am sure the minister is impugning improper motive here. He is suggesting that I am using figures that aren't accurate; I can tell him the figures come straight off the government's tenders and contracts website. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Thank you. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Davenport, behave. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Minister. The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: I can see why they are under—particularly the two up here—a bit of pressure, Madam Speaker, but— Members interjecting: The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: Look, I think I have said previously that the costs that have been incurred through a fixed contractual arrangement with respect to the desalination plant ($1.83 billion) are the total costs that are involved with respect to the completion of the desalination plant. Another component, of course, was the money that was required to make sure that there was a connectedness between the northern section and the southern section of our distribution system, and we have been very transparent about that. We have also said previously that the costs for this important piece of infrastructure that is going to supply water security to South Australia—a climatically independent water supply—were going to be recovered through price increases in line with NWI principles, but also, quite simply, to be able to— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: I do know this: we have been very transparent about what the increases will be for the next year, notwithstanding the fact that I do know that the member for MacKillop is very good with his numbers—he can turn three votes into 11 votes without any problem whatsoever. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will get back to the substance of the question. Order! The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: I have previously answered this question and I will have— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: I will have a look at what the deputy leader has said and, if there are things that he has said that I haven't answered properly, I will certainly get back to the house like I always do. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Thank you. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Supplementary, member for MacKillop.