Electricity Generation

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:11): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier agree with the comments made by the Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources last year that the closure of the Hazelwood plant at the end of this month will be good for South Australians and, if he does agree, can he explain why it will be good for South Australia?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:11): We fundamentally believe we support South Australian gas over Victorian coal. We believe—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We believe that we should be doing everything we can to incentivise South Australian generation, not to import a Victorian generation—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: And yelling at me is not a substitute for policy. Thumping the table and blowing botox around the place is not a substitute for policy. We support South Australian gas. There is 450 megawatts owned in the state by the same company that owns the megawatts of ENGIE and the Hazelwood power station in Victoria. The question is: would you rather the Hazelwood—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The question is: would you prefer to have the Hazelwood generator on, or Pelican Point on? Do you want South Australian gas fired up or Victorian coal? Members opposite—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Members opposite prefer Victorian coal. We prefer South Australian gas. We support our generators. We want our generators on, not Victorian generators on. By selling our generators, they have put us at the mercy of Victorian and New South Wales generators, and what they want is for us to be more at their mercy. We will stand up for South Australian generation, and I have to say that yelling at me and interjecting is not a substitute for policy. It is not a substitute for an idea. Yelling is not a thought.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is called to order.