SA Power Networks

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland) (15:09): My question is to the Treasurer. Has the Treasurer responded to correspondence from the Leader of the Opposition regarding SA Power Networks tree-lopping requirements?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (15:09): On radio this morning, the Leader of the Opposition claimed that he had written to me:

I’ve written to the Treasurer and apart from having the acknowledgement...'I’ve received your letter' I’ve had no response and I must have ESP—

he claims to be hearing voices or have special perceptions—

because yesterday—

and he laughs and scoffs—

I sent a letter to the Treasurer following up my, er, my earlier correspondence on this issue because we’ve got the highest electricity prices in the country here in South Australia and, you know, households—

He is interrupted then by Mr Abraham. The letter the Leader of the Opposition is talking about is a letter to me saying:

Dear Minister—

I am surprised he said 'Dear', but that's how he is: he's polite—

I write in relation to SA Power Networks legislative requirements outlined under the Electricity Act 1996 and Electricity—

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Is it in order for a minister to answer a question by reading a media summary? You're just reading—

Members interjecting:

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Well, a media transcript.

The SPEAKER: It may be included in an answer if it's relevant. The answer is yes.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: He writes:

Residents of my electorate of Dunstan have longstanding concerns regarding the impact on street trees from the pruning methods utilised by SA Power Networks and its contractors.

He asks that I consider directing ESCOSA, as he discussed this morning on radio. The Leader of the Opposition then claimed on radio twice that I hadn't responded to him. I have here a letter, which I signed on 25 September, to the Leader of the Opposition:

Dear Mr Marshall—

I am being just as polite as he was to me—

Thank you for your letter dated 20 August 2014 about your constituents' longstanding concerns with the impact on street trees resulting from the tree pruning methods utilised by SA Power Networks and its contractors.

I go on to detail why we can't do what it is he is asking me to do in his letter. I responded to the Leader of the Opposition. He had my letter and he still went on radio today and said, 'I have not received a response.' The Leader of the Opposition is happy to go out on radio and say, 'I've written to the government about this, I'm very concerned about this, but they won't respond'—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —yet I have responded—

The SPEAKER: Point of order?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —and I have written to him.

Mr GARDNER: Notwithstanding that this should actually be a personal explanation, not a question, he is now debating.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is warned for a second and final time for interjecting and also drawing attention to the absence of a member from the house when in fact there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Very well, sir; then I apologise. I call on the Leader of the Opposition to apologise for his remarks, to go on radio and clarify that I did indeed respond to his letter. I didn't just send him an acknowledgement, I took the courtesy to find out what the answer was to his question and I answered it. For the benefit of the house, I will explain why.

We conducted a review and we introduced a risk-based approach to pruning around low-voltage powerlines of 415 volts. That is so that in residential communities where people enjoy the amenity of tree-lined streets we have allowed there to be a risk-based approach where the arborists and pruners can make a decision about whether or not the trees do impact on the quality of the amenity and whether they do pose a fire risk. However, I say in my letter to the Leader of the Opposition (which he claims that I didn’t send him, but I did):

The safety risks associated with high-voltage powerlines (greater than 1,000 volts) are unfortunately too great to allow reduced clearances and the use of this risk based approach. Vegetation contacting high voltage powerlines can immediately catch fire.

As an example in the Leader of the Opposition's own electorate, in 2007 an 11kV powerline on George Street, Stepney, came into contact with a tree. The resulting fire caused property damage and an electrical flashover. As a result of the flashover, one of the cables fell to the ground onto a member of the public who was walking under the powerlines at the time. I responded to the Leader of the Opposition's questions, but he went on radio and made up a story anyway.

The SPEAKER: Well, fortunately it's one of life's mercies that there are no penalties for misleading Matt and Dave.