Electricity Prices

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart) (15:12): Supplementary: can the minister guarantee that his energy plan will bring down electricity prices in South Australia and, if so, when?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (15:12): Any politician who promises they can lower energy prices when they don't own all the assets is simply not being fair. Members opposite—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert will depart the chamber under the sessional order, for repeated interjection, for a period of 20 minutes.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sentence him as an adult, sir.

The SPEAKER: He was tried as an adult.

The honourable member for Schubert having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We believe that the national reforms and Our Energy Plan will lower prices, but in the absence of a coherent national policy, in the absence of a market mechanism, in the absence of scarcity being—

Mr Marshall: Double Victoria.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Double Victoria—can the Leader of the Opposition back that up?

Mr Marshall: Yes. Plenty of people down in the South-East—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: 'Plenty of people,' anecdotal: 'I spoke to some guy yesterday who told me.' How about the Leader of the Opposition back that up? Don't change the subject: back it up.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: That's right—change the subject, point across, shout. No policy, no idea, make things up. Today, on radio he told us that the economy has ground to a halt, yet our growth is higher than the national growth. You just make things up.

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer criticises me for failing to control the Leader of the Opposition. Do you think, Treasurer, that you may have provoked the opposition benches then?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Not at all, sir.

The SPEAKER: Right, okay. Member for Reynell.