Office of Hydrogen Power

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (14:26): My question is to the Premier. What has been the total cost of the Office of Hydrogen Power South Australia, and what are its three biggest achievements?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:26): One of the things that the Office of Hydrogen Power was tasked to do was to manage the Port Bonython Hydrogen Hub. Do you remember that? Remember the hydrogen hub at Port Bonython? Do you remember that?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Remember? Before the mass re-education that occurred when he went into opposition? Right—never heard of hydrogen, don't know what that is. But previously they invested $30 million into a hydrogen hub at Port Bonython when they privatised land at Port Bonython to try to get up a hydrogen hub. Sam Crafter has been working on that, doing an exceptionally good job. What we have also done, of course, is procure a state-of-the-art aeroderivative generator: four units of 50 megawatt generation that would be used to try to help alleviate some of the competition restraints we have in this state as a result of the privatisation of ETSA, and importantly—

Mr Patterson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett will listen to the answer in silence. You asked a question: if you want to listen to the answer in your office, keep talking; if you would like to hear it here, be quiet.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: He is off the leash, sir. Most importantly, the path to green steel is even closer than it ever has been before.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: That reaction is all you need to know about the aspirations for Whyalla that members opposite have. That's all you need to know—the laughter is all you need to hear. I hope everyone in Whyalla hears their laughter. I hope everyone on Eyre Peninsula hears what they say. I wonder what Tom Venning would say about the laughter about the people of Whyalla from members opposite?

We have the best magnetite resources anywhere in the country. We have the last structural steel smelter anywhere in the country. We have the last structural steel rolling mill anywhere in the country, and we aim to decarbonise it. Why? Because it's important that we can actually mine our iron ore and turn it into steel. While members opposite laugh at that aspiration, we think it's real.

The idea that there are going to be brand-new blast furnaces built across South Australia and across Australia is just like the myth that there will be new coal-fired power stations built across the country. It's not happening. The path forward is going to be direct iron reduction and it's going to be electric arc furnaces. That work is being promoted and worked through by the Office of Hydrogen Power SA—and that is just to name a few.

The Office of Hydrogen Power SA has worked diligently to try to do everything it can to promote the decarbonisation of heavy industries in this state. Members opposite have no plan for heavy industries—none. In fact, with what we see right now, imagine if Steven Marshall and imagine if members opposite were in charge when Whyalla was on the brink. What would they have done? The Leader of the Opposition has a five-minute coffee with Sanjeev Gupta and he wants to hand over $50 million. One cappuccino and he is handing over money.

We have aspirations for this state that are about beneficiating our own minerals and creating complex jobs. Members opposite have no plan for this state, they have no plan for heavy industry and they have no plan for decarbonisation. If the people of Whyalla could see the way they are behaving today, they would be horrified.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Newland and the member for Florey are on your final warnings.