Electricity Interconnector

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Can the minister update the house on the importance of the South Australian-New South Wales interconnector in developing new renewable energy zones?

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:46): Thank you to the member for Narungga, whose electorate is certainly connected to this question. I appreciate his interest in it. Renewable energy zones are very important in South Australia. In fact, the Marshall Liberal team went to the last state election with the commitment to develop renewable energy zones in South Australia, and we are delivering on that. Of course, renewable energy zones, which are a way of generating more renewable energy and reducing emissions, need to be connected to customers.

The only way you can continue to develop renewable energy zones in our state is if you have the very important infrastructure necessary to transport to customers the energy that you generate, typically in regional and remote areas, typically in metropolitan or more heavily built-up areas in regional centres. So the interconnector between South Australia and New South Wales is absolutely vital for us to be able to continue to develop renewable energy zones in South Australia. Of course, the South Australia-New South Wales interconnector would be absolutely vital for anybody else who wanted to develop renewable energy zones in South Australia.

We have interestingly heard this morning the federal Leader of the Opposition say that he wants to develop a renewable energy zone in Spencer Gulf. Clearly, he must be a strong supporter of the New South Wales-South Australia interconnector because, without that, he couldn't actually do it. This was how the former state Labor government was until the former state Liberal opposition, now state Liberal government, took this policy to the last election, at which point the state Labor Party flipped on their position. We don't know whether the federal Labor Party is going to flip on their position, but what is very interesting about today's announcement—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —by the federal Leader of the Opposition, saying that he wants to develop a renewable energy zone in Spencer Gulf, is that we actually already have one. We are already well on the way to developing it. We have 11 renewable energy projects on the books—

Mr Patterson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett is called to order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —in Upper Spencer Gulf alone.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Fair enough, Mr Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Giles and the member for Waite are called to order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Perhaps the federal Leader of the Opposition isn't all over South Australia's policies.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: He doesn't really seem to care much about South Australia. But, Mr Speaker—

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is called to order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —interestingly, the Australian Energy Market Operator's integrated system plan was published in July last year, and there is actually a renewable enterprise zone planned for the Mid North of South Australia, another one for Yorke Peninsula, covering the electorate of Narungga, another one for Eastern Eyre Peninsula, another one for northern South Australia, another one for Roxby Downs and another one for Leigh Creek.

Those six planned renewable energy zones actually all surround what is commonly known as the Spencer Gulf and Outback region. So, while I welcome the federal Leader of the Opposition jumping on board with our policies, I look forward to the South Australian opposition doing exactly the same. While I welcome that, I have to say that there is nothing new in the announcement that Mr Shorten made today.

Mr Hughes interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Giles is warned. The Leader of the Opposition has the call.