Privatisation

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): I'm happy to persist, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Did the Premier mislead the people of South Australia when he said at the PSA pre-election forum on 7 February this year that the Liberals, 'don't have a privatisation agenda'?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:17): I absolutely stand by—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier will be heard in silence.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —every single word that I said there, sir. Most reasonable people in South Australia understand the mess that the new government inherited. We suspected—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left will be quiet. I'm trying to listen to the Premier's answer.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We suspected—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is persistently interjecting. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We suspected prior to the election, when the former premier and treasurer announced that they were entering into an agreement to purchase ahead of the requirement, that they had already entered into to lease. When they indicated that they were going to purchase, we suspected that there was no compelling reason, but the simple fact of the matter is that we didn't have any proof.

On coming to government, we had an independent assessment. It wasn't an assessment we did. It was an independent, very highly qualified legal mind to look at the complexities of the deal. They were also unable to find any compelling reason why the government entered into the purchase agreement prior to the election.

The former government must have had some reason to do it, but we are where we are. We have purchased those. We are not selling, but we have to act in the best interests of every single taxpayer. If those opposite honestly think that the best use is for those to sit there for another couple of decades at the total cost to the taxpayers of $610 million on the off chance that they might be used—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —for a couple of minutes for the next couple of years, well, then they are even more incompetent than anybody actually thought they were. I'm looking forward—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —to the next election already. I really am. The idiotic arguments that are coming from those opposite—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —I think make the average person in South Australia just shake their head. How on earth—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier has the call. Order!

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —could the party that inflicted this massive burden on the people of South Australia do anything other than apologise? No, no. The brazen opposition are now standing up, doubling down on their prior commitment. They want to spend $610 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —to have these diesel generators on stand-by. The party that pretends to be looking to the future with renewable energy wants us to spend $610 million to have stand-by diesel generators—dirty diesel. Well, we will be acting on behalf of the people of South Australia.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the member for West Torrens, who has been patiently waiting, and then I will move to the member for Waite, I warn the member for Badcoe and I call to order the member for Lee. The member for West Torrens.