Hydrogen Power Plant

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (15:08): My question is to the Premier. Did the Office of Hydrogen Power provide any advice to the government that recommended that the hydrogen power plant should be delayed or cancelled and, if so, when was it first received?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (15:09): The government's decision around the Hydrogen Jobs Plan and the steelworks was made out of necessity, given the circumstances of the steelworks. We knew that we were going to have to put a very substantial proportion of government funding on the table to attract a new owner. We knew we were going to have to fund the administration. We were able to negotiate, thankfully and very gratefully, with the commonwealth 50 per cent of that cost. We also knew that as a result of administration the transition towards a new owner, the appreciation that a new owner would want to turn its mind to an electric arc furnace and DRI before it was ever in a position to be able to acquire hydrogen, it struck the government as being a decision that we had no choice but to take.

We have been very transparent about that. I know the Leader of the Opposition was up in Whyalla a couple of weeks ago but I am not too sure if the shadow minister has had the chance to go up there or not—

Mr Telfer interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That's not—that's good. You would appreciate that particularly in the last week or so there is certainly a sentiment in Whyalla that this has given them the confidence about a plan for the future that they have been looking for for so long and, hence, that's the reason why we made the decision we did.