House of Assembly Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2) 53 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Electricity Prices Electricity Prices Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly Stuart 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 House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Finance Minister for State Development Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy Electricity Prices 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 House of Assembly 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 House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sentence him as an adult, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: He was tried as an adult. The honourable member for Schubert having withdrawn from the chamber: The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly 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 House of Assembly Mr Marshall: Double Victoria. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Double Victoria—can the Leader of the Opposition back that up? Mr Marshall House of Assembly Mr Marshall: Yes. Plenty of people down in the South-East— The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly 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 House of Assembly 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 House of Assembly 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 House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Not at all, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Right, okay. Member for Reynell.