Project EnergyConnect

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:36): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Can the minister please update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is backing South Australian energy users through interconnection with New South Wales, and are there any alternate views?

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:36): Thank you to the member for King for that very important question. Yesterday was a fantastic day for South Australia. It is all systems go. ElectraNet and TransGrid are going ahead now that the regulatory hurdle has been surpassed. Project EnergyConnect will deliver cheaper, cleaner and more secure power in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: We have delivered already an average of $269 annual savings for household electricity consumers and the interconnector will slash an additional $100 a year off for households and even more for businesses. This is a huge change after Labor drove up power bills by $477 or 26 per cent in their last two years in office. Project EnergyConnect has been deemed as a critical and as a No Regrets project by the Australian Energy Market Operator. Everyone agrees Project EnergyConnect is necessary—everyone except those opposite.

First, they supported it. They committed in 2002 to deliver an interconnector under Mike Rann, a commitment the member for Torrens stood by back then. When he, the member for Torrens, was the minister—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: West Torrens—he even put together a $500,000 package—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat for a moment.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Stop the clock please, Mr Clerk.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Schubert will cease interjecting. The member for West Torrens on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It's West Torrens, not Torrens.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will resume his seat.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my right! There is no point of order. The member for West Torrens is warned for a second time. The minister has the call.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: I know he wants credit for what's coming next. The member for West Torrens said in 2016, 'It would be a wise investment to build greater interconnection between South Australia and New South Wales.' Another quote from 2016—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —is: 'We need to upgrade interconnection into New South Wales.' But when in 2017 we announced it as a policy, all of a sudden they ran an election campaign against it. The member for West Torrens preferred to lump taxpayers with over $600 million for dirty diesel generators.

The member for Lee could not have been clearer on their views. He said to FIVEaa, 'We think it's a terrible idea.' Then, after three years opposing it, they tried to do a backflip. The opposition leader told ABC 891 on 23 March, 'We are not opposed to the interconnector. If that happens, that's fantastic, but it doesn't look like it is.' Well, I have news for the opposition: it is happening—and no thanks to Labor—thanks to our government and thanks to industry.

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition then doubled-down, supporting the leader but not the member for West Torrens, saying, 'Labor has not opposed the interconnector.' But you can't keep down the member for West Torrens. He is now back opposing it. He is claiming it will shut power stations that have already given notice of their closure, like the Osborne power station. They can't even land a backflip properly.

In the end, Labor's pride means that they can't accept that they were wrong on energy. They stuffed it up, pure and simple. We are fixing it up, pure and simple. They are not fooling anybody and they cannot stand the fact that we are fixing the mess that they left us. Electricity prices were going up and up, and now, under the Marshall Liberal government, they are going down. We had a growing number of blackouts previously under the former Labor government, and we are having fewer and fewer of those blackouts since.

We came to government promising more affordable, more reliable and cleaner electricity and that is exactly what we are delivering, and those opposite cannot get their act together whether they think that is a good thing or not.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Playford! Before I call the member for Kaurna, I call to order the Premier, I call to order the Minister for Energy and Mining and I warn for a second time the member for Schubert.