Power Infrastructure

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart) (15:01): A supplementary, sir: given that the minister says he cannot divulge the price he expects to pay for the diesel gas generators because it is going to public tender, why has he divulged that he expects to spend $360 million on a gas peaking plant and $150 million on batteries? They are both also going to public tender.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (15:02): First, we have not divulged how much we are going to be spending on the battery. We have a renewable technology fund that is made up of $150 million, half loans and half grants, and we have said that we will use that pool of money to go out and not buy a battery but we will be procuring services. The battery will be owned by the private sector and we will have a contract with it, so I don't expect all those funds to be used for the battery. The remaining money in place is for the diesel generators and the hybrid generators, and we want to make sure that we have sufficient funds. What I am not going to do is go out to the market and tell the market exactly what we are prepared to pay.

Again, members opposite do not understand this, and that is why they are finding it difficult. It is not like running a Wokinabox, it is a lot more complicated than running a Wokinabox. It is amazing when we say 'Wokinabox' the reaction the public has. 'Wokinabox' has this reaction. They relate Wokinabox immediately to one person, it is amazing—Wok-onomics.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Stuart is warned for the second and final time for continuing to interject, and the Treasurer is called to order for debating the answer.