Question Time

Energy Prices

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): My question is to the Premier. Will the government's hydrogen power plant lower household energy bills and, if so, when? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: In February 2021, the then Leader of the Opposition was recorded as saying, and I quote:

You will not hear me in this election campaign running around to households and saying, 'I'm going to deliver lower electricity prices' because most of the time they think that is BS anyway.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:11): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question because I know that members of the gallery, including hardworking DC workers, care about lower power prices in the state of South Australia.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The remarks that the Leader of the Opposition refers to in his question I made at a mining and energy conference that was held in the lead-up to the election. I was making the point that the electorate is tired of seeing broken promises when it comes to commitments to reduction in power prices because, of course, what they endured—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —over the course of the four years that the Liberal Party was in charge of South Australia was none other than a broken promise—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —when it comes to reduction in power prices—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Colton!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and all those records are there for people to dissect—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and, of course, the former member for Stuart—

Ms Pratt interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Frome!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —was caught out repeatedly in that regard—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Florey!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —about not honouring the commitment that was made by the member for Dunstan and the member for Stuart at the 2018 election campaign. Nonetheless, having made a—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey and the Treasurer will cease interjecting. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Having formed the view that the electorate was sick of the broken promises they saw from those opposite, I was candid, as I am now, about the fact that the principal objective of our Hydrogen Jobs Plan is to create jobs in South Australia around the hydrogen industry. We see a massive opportunity in South Australia to produce hydrogen for both domestic consumption and export in a way that leads the world. That is why we have committed $593 million of taxpayers' funds towards building the world's largest hydrogen electrolyser and power plant.

It is also true that one of the objectives—albeit not the principal one—of our Hydrogen Jobs Plan is to also have a positive impact in terms of reduction in power prices by offering a firming service from Hydrogen Power SA to renewable investors and generators to unlock the $20 billion pipeline of renewable energy that we know is there to be delivered—

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —but also to see those renewable generators providing continuity of service in a way that can't currently be done through a firming offering particularly on the wholesale market. That's why the policy has been crafted in the way that it has. I know this is a policy that those opposite have sought to undermine every single step of the way—every single step of the way.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morialta is warned. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: I would like to advise the people of South Australia in this important forum that there will be an opportunity for the opposition to cast its vote on their views about hydrogen in the form of a hydrogen act or hydrogen bill that we will be introducing into the parliament next year, which is what we have committed to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Morialta! Member for Frome! Member for Unley! Member for Colton!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and stated publicly.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey, you are on one warning.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Those opposite can't work out whether they are for or against the women's and children's legislation. They will have the same opportunity when it comes to a hydrogen bill next year.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!