Water Pricing

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:55): Supplementary: did Stephen Mullighan ask the chief executive of ESCOSA to model the effect on SA Water revenue caps of various regulated asset base increases of 5 per cent, 10 per cent and 15 per cent?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:56): I cannot speak for what staff may or may not have done, but what I can say is the policymakers are the cabinet and the cabinet makes the decisions. For example, if a member of, let's say, some other office outside the government, perhaps a Leader of the Opposition's staff, spoke to a consultant about the potential price for a privatised asset base, does that necessarily mean that the opposition is planning to privatise SA Water? Does it? I am not hearing very much. 'We're not in government.' No, Mr Speaker, they are not in government and for that we thank the Leader of the Opposition.