Motor Accident Commission

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:28): If the government is so confident that the competitive market will emerge to the CTP and have that effect, why is it necessary to have a cap for the next three years?

Mr Marshall: There's an election.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:28): That presupposes we are frightened of the Leader of the Opposition; in fact we are hoping you hang on. That is what we're hoping for. But, Mr Speaker, no: what we want to do is avoid the mistakes made in other jurisdictions. We want to settle in the competitive process. We want to settle private providers into this, because remember, we compel people to buy compulsory third-party. This is not a matter of choice to South Australians: we make every single South Australian buy compulsory third-party premiums.

So, what we are doing by allowing the private sector to issue this, and by allocating policies equally across the number of providers we have, we are limiting growth to CPI-like increases, remembering that over the past two years there has been a $140 reduction in compulsory third-party premiums. I know members opposite laugh and scoff at that, but $140 is a lot of money for a lot of South Australians, and that decrease, I think, was welcome. I congratulate the health minister on those reforms that brought about those changes for South Australians. What we want to do is give South Australians choice. We said in the last budget—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Did the member for Unley interject?

Mr PISONI: No, sir, I was speaking to my colleague next to me.

The SPEAKER: Yes. I notice the member for Unley is often giving the deputy leader and the leader tips for their next interjection. Alas, there is no offence such as conspiracy to breach standing orders. Treasurer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We believe in allowing the private sector to be bedded in. What we do not want to see is what we saw after the privatisation of ETSA, where the former government handed a whole group of customers to one retail provider, the retailer of last resort. We have seen that those customers have the largest increases in electricity prices when members opposite privatised ETSA. The method we are using by not allowing a monopoly provider to step in and having the private sector face competitive forces means that they will all be fighting for these customers.

Mr Marshall: Do it now.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I note that the Leader of the Opposition is interjecting, 'Do it now' at the same time as telling us that he is going to vote against legislation allowing us to open up contestability. So in one aspect he says, 'Do it now' and in the next he says, 'We'll vote against it in the parliament.' It seems to me that the Leader of the Opposition, whether it is outlaw motorcycle gangs or privatisation, just can't get—

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Point of order. Member for Stuart.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: The minister is very clearly debating the issue.

The SPEAKER: On balance, I uphold the point of order. The deputy leader.