<!--The Official Report of Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly of the Parliament of South Australia are covered by parliamentary privilege. Republication by others is not afforded the same protection and may result in exposure to legal liability if the material is defamatory. You may copy and make use of excerpts of proceedings where (1) you attribute the Parliament as the source, (2) you assume the risk of liability if the manner of your use is defamatory, (3) you do not use the material for the purpose of advertising, satire or ridicule, or to misrepresent members of Parliament, and (4) your use of the extracts is fair, accurate and not misleading. Copyright in the Official Report of Parliamentary Debates is held by the Attorney-General of South Australia.-->
<hansard id="" tocId="" xml:lang="EN-AU" schemaVersion="4.0" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="hansard_1_0.xsd" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2007/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML">
  <name>Legislative Council</name>
  <date date="2025-04-01T14:15:00+10:30" />
  <sessionName>Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)</sessionName>
  <parliamentNum>55</parliamentNum>
  <sessionNum>1</sessionNum>
  <parliamentName>Parliament of South Australia</parliamentName>
  <house>Legislative Council</house>
  <venue></venue>
  <reviewStage>published</reviewStage>
  <startPage num="8313" />
  <endPage num="8355" />
  <dateModified time="2025-04-04T16:01:09+10:30" />
  <proceeding continued="true" uid="a241f0e2da2f4235bdef5fda15538b3c">
    <name>Question Time</name>
    <subject uid="a436a787047a42959934324504d46a59">
      <name>Office of Hydrogen Power</name>
      <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000155">
        <heading>Office of Hydrogen Power</heading>
      </text>
      <talker role="member" id="4362" referenceid="9196416ed01f41d0801ce030b03cd39a" uid="667f4946b614486cb58bc43d88dca2e8" kind="question">
        <name>The Hon. J.S. LEE</name>
        <house>Legislative Council</house>
        <questions>
          <question date="2025-04-01T03:45:00+10:30">
            <name>Office of Hydrogen Power</name>
          </question>
        </questions>
        <startTime time="2025-04-01T14:56:24+10:30" />
        <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000156">
          <timeStamp time="2025-04-01T14:56:24+10:30" />
          <by role="member" id="4362" referenceid="9196416ed01f41d0801ce030b03cd39a" uid="667f4946b614486cb58bc43d88dca2e8">The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:56):</by>  I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the minister representing the Minister for Energy and Mining regarding the Office of Hydrogen Power SA.</text>
        <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000157">Leave granted.</text>
      </talker>
      <talker role="member" id="4362" referenceid="9196416ed01f41d0801ce030b03cd39a" uid="7dff876b216341389c9d0c9cf3a9b21e" kind="question" continued="true">
        <name>The Hon. J.S. LEE</name>
        <house>Legislative Council</house>
        <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000158">
          <by role="member" id="4362" referenceid="9196416ed01f41d0801ce030b03cd39a" uid="7dff876b216341389c9d0c9cf3a9b21e">The Hon. J.S. LEE:</by>  <term>The Advertiser</term>, on 26 March, highlighted the abandonment of a proposed $750 million green hydrogen project by the global commodities giant Trafigura intended for Nyrstar's Port Pirie smelting facility. This cancellation, attributed to high construction costs and insufficient market demand, joins a troubling trend of stalled or deferred hydrogen initiatives, including the state government's $600 million Whyalla hydrogen plant, the proposed AGL Torrens Island Green Hydrogen Hub and Neoen Australia's Hydrogen Superhub at Crystal Brook.</text>
        <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000159">Additionally, recent concerns raised regarding the effectiveness of the Office of Hydrogen Power SA indicate that over $130 million of taxpayers' funds have been spent on salaries, consultancies and engineering without substantial progress or successful outcomes. My questions to the minister are:</text>
        <page num="8322" />
        <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000160">1.&amp;#x9;Given these circumstances, can the minister explain what changes will be made to the role and responsibility of the Office of Hydrogen Power SA?</text>
        <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000161">2.&amp;#x9;Considering the substantial public funds allocated to this office, how does the minister justify its continued operation and the significant executive remuneration, particularly in light of the recent widespread cancellation of hydrogen projects?</text>
        <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000162">3.&amp;#x9;Can the minister also provide details of any measurable achievements or milestones delivered by the Office of Hydrogen Power SA to date that demonstrate tangible benefits and justify the ongoing taxpayers' investment?</text>
      </talker>
      <talker role="member" id="5412" referenceid="f6f1a5ffd4774774bcc2b9675cc1d44d" uid="1c5b777436f04439bf7057501aabc6e4" kind="answer">
        <name>The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN</name>
        <house>Legislative Council</house>
        <portfolios>
          <portfolio id="">
            <name>Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development</name>
          </portfolio>
          <portfolio id="">
            <name>Minister for Forest Industries</name>
          </portfolio>
        </portfolios>
        <startTime time="2025-04-01T14:58:33+10:30" />
        <text id="202504011cf5c0025a75470a90000163">
          <timeStamp time="2025-04-01T14:58:33+10:30" />
          <by role="member" id="5412" referenceid="f6f1a5ffd4774774bcc2b9675cc1d44d" uid="1c5b777436f04439bf7057501aabc6e4">The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:58):</by>  I will refer the question to the minister in the other place and bring back a response.</text>
      </talker>
    </subject>
  </proceeding>
</hansard>