Power Infrastructure

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:40): Supplementary: can the minister confirm to the house that the Pelican Point facility was indeed generating at the time that he claimed to the public that it was generating electricity, or did he indeed mislead the public at that point?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:40): First of all, I made no public statement: I sent a text message to a journalist. That is the other part that the Leader of the Opposition is not informing the parliament of. The truth is this: Pelican was available, and I stand by it. When we needed Pelican Point to generate electricity under the Australian Energy Market Operator's control, they were available. Why were they available? Because after the July event, they had their contracts, they got their gas, they were ready to generate and they have been generating in and out of the market as the market decides, and that is how the National Electricity Market operates.

What the Leader of the Opposition I think is confusing is between what it means to be available to operate in the NEM and participate in the NEM. I don't think he understands the difference. I think it is a sad reflection—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The interjections and the shouting go to the fact that the Leader of the Opposition hasn't done his homework. When you don't do your homework, the only thing you have left is to shout.