SOLAR FEED-IN SCHEME

Mr BROCK (Frome) (14:16): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister please advise the house whether or not a decision has been made regarding a request for electricity users, Mr and Mrs Greg Collins of Port Pirie, to be eligible for feed-in tariffs for their workshop? Mr and Mrs Collins applied for the application for the feed-in tariff at the time the minister changed the regulations. We had written to the minister's office back in March 2012, had an acknowledgement on 27 March, and have had no response since that date.

Mr Pengilly: You've got the answer, Tom?

The SPEAKER: The member for Finniss is called to order. We had an interjection from the member for Kavel yesterday suggesting that a question without notice was not really a question without notice, when in fact it was. We shall see. The Minister for Energy.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:17): There is no prepared answer at all. The member for Frome is a dedicated local MP who fights for his constituency. I know that members opposite don't like the fact that he sits in this parliament—

Members interjecting:

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is absolutely right to take a point of order, and to give me the opportunity to call to order the members for Heysen, Stuart and Hammond, who are disrupting the house. That was the point of order? No?

Ms CHAPMAN: That wasn't, but I am sure that you will bring the minister—

The SPEAKER: No? Mon Dieu!

Ms CHAPMAN: —back to the issue, to answer the member's question.

The SPEAKER: Yes, the minister will be strictly relevant.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, earlier in the year the government introduced legislation which was sent to deadlock between the houses. The former energy shadow minister, the former deputy leader and I were working through some solutions for people like the constituents the member for Frome is discussing. The reason those correspondents were not replied to was because they were on hold during the entire process of debate.

I am not sure if the constituent that you are speaking about is one of the constituents that is caught up in the amendments passed by the parliament early in the year. They should have received notification from SA Power Networks. If they haven't, and the member for Frome has indicated that they haven't—because a whole range of people in regional South Australia who had issues regarding their meter were indeed given the new feed-in tariff, as the old feed-in tariff is now closed for entry.

So, I am not sure whether or not your constituents have been informed. If they have not, I will chase that up and get a response to the member very, very quickly. I apologise to him for the delay in response, but I assumed that all those inquiries were being dealt with, with the amendments that were before the parliament as they passed. I know a large number of regional electricity users were satisfied with the outcome. So I will get some details for you and let you know very, very soon.