Power Supply

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (15:01): My question is to the Minister for Energy. In the light of the Minister for Emergency Service's answer just now to the member for Waite, I ask: when will power be restored at Estia Aged Care at Aldgate and in surrounding areas of Stirling and Upper Sturt, some parts of which no present estimate has been given by SA Power Networks?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (15:01): I heard the member on radio today worrying about his constituents, and he is right to do so because, from what I understand, the Estia nursing home has a generator that's operating to offer only hot meals to its clientele but no other electrical services. It is an unsatisfactory situation and I agree with him.

I also heard Paul Roberts on the program directly after the member saying that they weren't aware that Estia had reached out, and that is unfortunate. My message to organisations like the one in the member's constituency is that, if there are groups that are more vulnerable than others, they need to reach out. We operate a 'dumb grid' in this state. That is, often SA Power Networks do not know when individuals are blacked out. It relies on a reporting system.

Many people do not have smart meters. It is not tracked to know when power is out. We have a list of people who have strategic reasons and medical reasons for needing reserve on their homes. For whatever reason, this property wasn't on that list. I am chasing that up today. I thank the member for raising it today on the radio. I also note that there was a letter to the editor this morning that was read out by Stacey Lee on the ABC.

I can only imagine the discomfort and concern it is causing to the families and to the residents of that facility that they are unable to get power to them quickly. I imagine, as the member said on the radio today, that the staff are working diligently to make sure that those loved ones of the families concerned are looked after appropriately. It is unacceptable in today's day and age to have a community like that, a facility like that, without power for this long unattended to.

I suspect that, had SA Power Networks known earlier, they would have provided generation backup facilities for that facility, but for whatever reason they were unaware of it. That is a lesson for all of us in this house—that if you have facilities like this in your community that are suffering long-term blackouts you can reach out. You can reach out to SA Power Networks, to your local member of parliament, to your federal member of parliament, to your council or even to the government and me personally, and we will make sure that we can get these people facilities.

I understand they will be reconnected today, but I will double-check again for the member and get back to him. I thank him for raising this matter because it's important for all of us to know that there are many people in our community who have no voice. They may be suffering from dementia or they may be suffering from other ailments that mean they cannot reach out. My father was one of these people in Netley who lost power in their home. He hadn't charged his phone and he had no access to his home phone number. It is important that we reach out to these communities.

If there are any other members in this house who have long-term blackouts, which are occurring because of the storms last weekend, through aged-care facilities or other special facilities, or constituents who have special medical needs who aren't being attended to, please contact me personally after question time and I will make sure that SA Power Networks do everything they can to get power to those homes.