Solar Panels

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (14:55): My question is for the Minister for Energy. Can the minister assure the house that no South Australian investing thousands of dollars in household solar will have their panels disconnected from dispatching to the grid under plans flagged today by the Australian Energy Market Operator? With your leave, sir, and that of the house I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The South Australian parliament was the lead legislator for this legislation.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:55): My goodness gracious! I think it's been about 20 months since the shadow minister took care to ask a question about energy in this house, so let me give—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —the shadow minister—

The SPEAKER: Minister, be seated for one moment.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Police, he has been doing it all day and he is called to order. The member for Lee has a point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It's debate, sir. It was a very specific question.

The SPEAKER: Yes, it was and it was well set out, leave was granted and there was a fair bit in the statement. I am trying to listen to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Unfortunately, though, minister, when you start an answer like that, even despite my cautions, you might get a little bit back. I would ask you to come back to the substance of the question, Minister for Energy and Mining, thank you.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: I thank the shadow minister for his interest in energy 20 months down the track—it's fantastic. I am aware of the report that was released today. The shadow minister's question was: can I assure that no South Australian household with a panel is going to be disconnected. Well, his question presumes that something like that is going to happen. What has happened is that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Leader, we have the question.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: What has happened is that AEMO has said very clearly that the mess that South Australia is in because of the previous Labor government with regard to their failed energy policy—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. A. Piccolo interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Light!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Light is warned. The member for Badcoe is on two warnings. Minister.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan: Focus on the task at hand.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is on two warnings.

The Hon. A. Piccolo: Which report did you read?

The SPEAKER: The member for Light is on two warnings. Minister.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —means that AEMO may have to implement some pretty serious measures to try to address this issue. We are doing everything we possibly can. As this house knows, we want South Australia to be stronger than before under the Labor government. We are going to make sure that South Australia is stronger than before under the Labor government. We have energy policies, including supporting an interconnector to come into South Australia. We have energy policies, including home batteries so that—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —every household can be stronger than before. We have had well in excess of 12,000—

Mr Malinauskas: We're not looking for slogans: we're looking for answers to the question.

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —household batteries taken up recently. We have the Grid Scale Storage Fund to address all of these things. We are implementing our policies, but AEMO are also saying that the mess left behind is so significant with regard to the risks of net negative demand that they are considering what they might have to do with regard to quite significant interventions—all the more reason why those opposite should get their shoulder to the wheel behind our government's policies.

Those opposite should stop sniping from the sidelines and actually support what our government is doing because we are determined to ensure that South Australia is stronger than before. We are determined to make sure that electricity prices continue going down. We are determined to make sure that we have fewer and fewer blackouts, as is the case. We are determined to continue making all these improvements, and if the opposition would stop playing silly political games, if they would stop changing their minds on policies: 'We want an interconnector, we don't want an interconnector, we want an interconnector,' if they could get their act together and support our sensible government policies, then we will be able to avoid the interventions that AEMO is contemplating.

We are determined that South Australia will be stronger than before under the previous Labor government. It is already stronger than before, and we are determined that it gets stronger and stronger than before.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Attorney-General is called to order. I have given the opposition 15 questions to four for the government, so we are going to move to the member for Flinders and then the member for West Torrens.