Generators

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:45): Supplementary to the minister: having got that advice on the decision to actually buy, did your advisers recommend that you buy it now and not at the end of the expiration of the lease period?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:46): When we exercised our right to purchase—

Mr Marshall: Just answer the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I am answering the question, sir.

The SPEAKER: If the leader interjects again—he was offered no provocation there—he will be departing. As the leader knows, I am reluctant ever to suspend the leader.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We announced in March that we were buying a brand-new gas-fired turbine. Like Torrens Island, which runs on two fuels, these generators can run on multiple fuel sources as well. We said that we would be purchasing these generators. What the opposition are quibbling about is when we exercised that right to purchase them. We always said we were going to buy them. This isn't a new revelation that we were going to buy the generators. We were always going to buy the generators.

What they are upset about is that obviously if they are elected they are not going to exercise the option. And now they are faced with the question: do they keep them or do they sell them? What it has done, what is causing all this aggravation between the shadow attorney-general and not the shadow energy minister (which is interesting in itself) is that they don't like owning public utilities. They don't like offering services where the public should have the government offering services, like last time they were in office, when they privatised the hospital and closed 47 schools and privatised ETSA. They don't like public ownership.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Welcome back to the debate.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order: the minister is debating the substance of the question. He is refusing to answer it.

The SPEAKER: Well, he is, but the member for Stuart and members opposite are also shouting at him out of order, so I'm just calling, 'Play on.'