Small Business Energy Rebates

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:15): My question is to the Premier. What does the Premier say to small business owner Natalie Siegele of Pulp and Thread in Tanunda? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

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

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order from the member for West Torrens.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 97, sir: without the leave of the house that question is indecipherable. And I have to say, sir, these questions where the opposition—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Can I just finish?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The explanation is by leave of the house. The question should stand on its own. That question without an explanation is unanswerable.

Mr Teague: There is no point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, there is.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Unley will cease his interjections. The member for Morialta will be heard under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Directly to the point of order, firstly, your earlier ruling countenanced such a question being allowed. Secondly, every—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan: What's the standing order?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 97. Secondly, the precedent set by yourself and previous Speakers have allowed for questions framed in that way, including many questions from the members of the current front bench to me as the acting shadow minister for health in the previous government—all allowed, all asked and answered.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Firstly, my previous guidance to the house was not a ruling, it was an encouragement to follow the guidance that had earlier been offered by different Speakers. Second, there is some force in the matters that the member for West Torrens has raised; however, rather than to decide the point which might have future consequences for others seeking to ask similar questions, I will give the member for Schubert the opportunity to recast, as I anticipate she is about to.

Mrs HURN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Premier: what does the Premier say to small business owner Natalie Siegele of Pulp and Thread in Tanunda in relation to the cost of doing business in South Australia? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: Ms Siegele is on the record in relation to the small business energy rebates as saying, and I quote:

I think I got the $160 [energy rebate this quarter]. When you're looking at a bill over $5,000 that's just nothing…when you're looking at a food and beverage business…that's just crazy, that's not even touching the sides.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:17): I thank the member for Schubert for her question. Again, I reiterate my remarks that I made earlier regarding the good news for the said business owner's electricity bill, with the news coming out this week that the price of electricity is coming down in South Australia. The Minister for Energy has already outlined the fact that in South Australia we enjoy the fact that our wholesale electricity price, which ultimately flows through to the prices paid by small businesses is lower in South Australia than what is the case in New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania. There is still work to be done, and we—

Mr Patterson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: There is still work to be done and our government has a plan to do that. What we are pursuing are policies that will reduce the price of power in South Australia. Unlocking renewable investment further is part of that. We believe that gas is an important part of the equation, providing firming capacity to renewables, which we know are the cheapest form of power. That, of course, stands in stark contrast to a kite-flying exercise and the most expensive form of power that we could see in the country that we are seeing being proffered by those opposite.

In respect of the business that the member for Schubert raises, the Treasurer in the lead-up to last year's state budget put a lot of effort into working with the commonwealth to craft a package that represents the single biggest cost-of-living or energy relief package for both households and businesses that we have ever seen in the history of the state. It made all of its predecessor schemes look modest in comparison. It provided for $650 coming off the energy bills in one year for small businesses across South Australia, and $500 for eligible households as well.

Does that on its own solve the problem? Of course it doesn't, but it is true to say that it made a material difference. In fact, ironically, for some households and potentially even some businesses, but more likely households, we saw families that actually ended up in front as a result of the size of the package, particularly where they consumed particularly low quantities of electricity. Of course, that wasn't everywhere. In fact, that was in an absolute minority of cases, but nonetheless it happened.

The other thing I would say to the business owner mentioned by the member for Schubert is I think it is relatively well known within the business community that the approach that all of us on the Treasury benches have, regardless of the portfolio, is a sincere and dedicated effort towards engaging with business, making sure that small business owners and their representatives have a seat at the table for significant government decisions that have an impact on them. It is that partnership and collegial attitude of working with employers in South Australia that has actually led to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —a degree of momentum we are seeing in the South Australian economy. It is not the South Australian government that exclusively takes credit for us being the number one economy in the nation, according to CommSec or ANZ or other agencies that are telling us this independently now time on time. It is the fact that government is working hand-in-hand with business.

That of course is in stark comparison to what we saw with the prior government, where business had the door slammed in their face when they came in making representations; members of the Treasury benches, including in the highest offices, having tantrums at the first sign of criticism coming from business. We are willing to work with business. It doesn't mean we agree on anything, but we are willing to work with them, and that's good news for the business owners in the member for Schubert's electorate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens and the member for Colton are warned. I call the member for Mawson, as earlier foreshadowed, and then the member for Flinders.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!