National Energy Crisis Taskforce

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. What measures has the National Energy Crisis Taskforce developed in response to electricity price increases? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PATTERSON: The creation of the National Energy Crisis Taskforce, to be co-chaired by the Minister for Energy and Mining, was announced in parliament on 1 November 2022. Since then, we have heard nothing from this committee.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:50): I am seriously being asked why a cabinet committee is not being held in public. I am stunned.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have news—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have news for the members opposite.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Cabinet meetings are confidential, as are committee cabinets. They are confidential.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We meet regularly.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I note members opposite—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The shadow minister for energy will be holding all of his cabinet meetings—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —in the open, in public.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I look forward to the media, this new announcement by members opposite, that cabinet committees and cabinet—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morialta, under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order: the question was what measures has this task force developed? The minister is debating.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We are early in the minister's answer. I will listen carefully. However, I do emphasise to the minister the terms of standing order 98.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The Premier and the cabinet decided that it was important that we zero in and focus on the issue at hand, and the issues, of course, were initially—

Mr Patterson: Just make it look like you're doing something.

The SPEAKER: Member for Morphett, you are on a final warning. The minister has the call.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We were focusing on a couple of things. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia created a shock internationally of commodity prices, especially of coal and gas. That lack of supply of gas into Europe created a lot of behaviour on the national spot market and the international spot market, which created the potential for shortages of gas, which almost saw the gas reliability trigger by the commonwealth government triggered for the first time in our nation's history. I think it was the first time, anyway; I will check.

What we were seeing as a consequence of that invasion was actually jurisdictions that were finding it difficult to meet their supply of electricity, which saw not only the wholesale prices go up, which had an immediate impact on upcoming retail prices, but also saw spot prices for commercial and industrial uses go up dramatically because of the cost of gas and indeed coal, because there were coal shortages as well.

What the task force, the national energy cabinet crisis committee, was about was making sure that South Australia, first and foremost, had adequate gas supplies. I am proud to report that South Australia has not suffered any gas shortages—none. Tick. We also made sure that the development—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Doing nothing? Just hanging around in a room talking, were we?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Ensuring that the commonwealth government had adequate policies in place to meet this challenge meant that we wanted to make sure that the commonwealth government, in conjunction with the South Australian government, did everything we could to make sure that grid-scale storage was incentivised and fast-tracked. Hence, there is now an auction process here in South Australia that the national energy cabinet crisis committee is, of course, tasked with looking at and making sure that South Australia has every opportunity to be competitive in that process—and we are.

The most recent announcement, by the commonwealth government, which is for multi-gigawatts of storage, not only variable renewable energy but of course dispatchable renewable energy, is a game changer. We want to be ready. What our cabinet committee is doing is focusing in to make sure that South Australia has the full benefit of that process.

Members opposite used to like always shouting out, when they were in office, that there was $9 billion worth of renewable projects—$9 billion of renewable projects—that had development approval, that were ready to go along the corridor between South Australia and New South Wales once Project EnergyConnect was energised for the New South Wales border. That will happen at the end of this year, years late, of course, than what they told us it will be done by, hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, more than they told us it would cost. I look forward to making sure that we hold them to account for what they promised as well.