Port Augusta Power Stations

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:48): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. Have representatives of government or the minister's office met with private companies to discuss potentially reopening Port Augusta?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:49): Yes, sir, we have. My message to them is the same as my message to the public: if the private sector want to reopen the Northern Power Station, the government will not stand in their way, but we will not use tax dollars to fire up a coal-fired power station.

Ms Chapman: We didn't ask you to.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Really? Well, that is not what the shadow spokesman said.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No, that is not exactly what they said. We are more than happy to meet with anyone who wishes to invest in South Australia, but what we won't be doing is using taxpayers' money to intervene into the National Electricity Market, and—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Well, don't use taxpayers' money to conduct a business case.

Ms Chapman: Come on, Tom!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Notice the hypocrisy—notice the hypocrisy. One minute they're talking about nationalising it—and I pointed out to the house in a debate earlier today that members opposite were calling on us to nationalise the National Electricity Market. So, now the Leader of the Opposition is saying that we shouldn't use taxpayers' money, but his parliamentary secretary is saying we should nationalise it. Which one is it?

Ms Chapman: What a joke.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No, I have to say they are in disarray—they are in disarray. There is no coherent policy. There will be no taxpayers' money used to bring on generation in this state. What we will do, though, is go out to the market to procure our power to incentivise more competition. We believe in an energy intensity scheme to, of course, bring gas-fired generation, efficient gas-fired generation (the transitional fuel) to a renewable future back into the market, as it belongs, because there is a lack of national leadership in this space, and there needs to be national leadership because if there is not national leadership in this space, we will not have reform.

That's why the work that the Prime Minister has done to bring climate and energy policy together is to be commended but, unfortunately, within his party there are still dinosaurs. Dinosaurs still roam the earth next to the unicorns, and there they are longing for coal—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Mr GARDNER: I'm not familiar with whether 'unicorn' is unparliamentary language, but it's certainly debate.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold the point of order. Deputy leader.