Water Pricing

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:52): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier consider it was reasonable for his then deputy chief executive officer, Stephen Mullighan, to instruct ESCOSA to analyse a whole range of pricing scenarios within only 24 hours?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:53): Any treasurer or treasurer's office deals with the regulator, and I think you've got to take Mr Kerin's comments not from the perspective as an independent regulator anymore, because he is not. I also point out to members of the house that in his resignation letter he mentioned almost none of the issues that he raises now in his committee. He could have expanded on those in his resignation letter but chose not to.

The government, on behalf of any minister, is entitled to have their staff talk with third parties or regulators about any issue. The reality is that Mr Kerin's remarks to the committee, as I have said earlier, do not reflect the opinion of the government about what occurred—they just do not—and we are entitled to have that opinion because Mr Kerin's statements are political; they are not apolitical.

This is not some independent regulator who has turned up on a white horse to try and attempt to be impartial; this is a man making a political statement, and he says so in his resignation letter. He flags in his resignation letter that he is making a political statement, and that hasn't changed. Mr Kerin is a political activist making political statements.

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned.