Electricity Generation

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart) (14:33): Who is actually purchasing the generators and leasing them to the government? Is it APR Energy or a third party?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:33): We are leasing them with a right to purchase. We have that right, and the contracts obviously have a level of confidentiality about them. The reason we have that confidentiality in place—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The agreement is that, obviously, General Electric and APR enter into other negotiations—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader and the deputy leader are both on two warnings. The Treasurer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Obviously, APR and General Electric are in the market to sell other gas-fired generators like these ones that are able to operate on diesel as well. I point out that our largest gas-fired generator in the state is also able to operate on dual fuel. It can operate on bunker fuel as well and often does if there is ever a shortage of gas.

It was a decision of former governments that there would be redundancy in place. It is good to have gas-fired generators, especially aeroderivative generators that can operate on two forms of fuel rather than being called 'big, fat, dirty diesel generators', which is what the opposition just called them. These are highly efficient generators.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: As a point of order, Mr Speaker, I ask you to bring the Treasurer back to the substance of the question, which is: from whom is the government leasing the generators?

The SPEAKER: Treasurer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I answered that, sir: it was APR. Again, I think this debate would be better informed if we had two opposing policies we could discuss and debate, but unfortunately the Liberal Party are keeping their policies secret. We all know that they have an energy policy, which is to abolish renewable energy. We know that, but they are not telling us, and the question is why. Why aren't they telling us what their energy plan is? Why are they keeping it secret?

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley.

Mr PISONI: The minister has entered into debate.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the member for Unley's point of order. Has the Treasurer finished?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, sir.