Legislative Council Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2) 53 2 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Water Pricing Water Pricing The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK Legislative Council Water Pricing The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:31): Supplementary question: can the minister advise whether his office put the former treasurer up to his interview last week, or not? The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change Water Pricing The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:31): It is well to advice the honourable member of something that the former treasurer would advise her now: when you are in government, you are often judged on what you do, and the former Liberal government, which privatised so many of our assets, such as ETSA, was judged harshly. The privatisation of ETSA, we know, has had a disastrous impact on the cost of living— Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! I am having difficulty hearing the minister's answer. The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —and here we have a Liberal opposition that is trying to fudge a fact that is as clear as the nose on their collective face: they had every intention of privatising SA Water had they won the last state election. They had every intention of it. Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Minister, do you want to take your seat. Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: If you want to waste question time, so be it. I ask everyone to just take a bit of a breather and allow the minister to complete his answer, so that we can get on to the next question. Minister. The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Mr President, we know that the federal Liberal Treasurer, the Hon. Joe Hockey, is running around the country with bags of money trying to entice state governments to privatise their assets in return for some cash, cash the state governments won't get to choose where they invest it: it will be invested on the terms of the federal government. This Liberal opposition, had they got into government, no-one would believe would not be lining up in the queue with other Liberal governments wanting to privatise SA Water's assets. This government will never do that.