House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-29 Daily Xml

Contents

SOLAR FEED-IN SCHEME

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): My question is to the Minister for Energy. Can the minister inform the house how many concession cardholders do not have solar panels on their roofs and therefore are subsidising the government's solar feed-in scheme, and how many concession cardholders do have solar panels on their roofs and therefore are beneficiaries of the scheme?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Northern Suburbs) (14:20): I will take that on notice—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: All this information emanates from ETSA, which does all this work. It is a private corporation and—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: The deputy leader rang ETSA—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The deputy leader, you are warned.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —yesterday or the day before, he informed me. Well, why didn't you ask when you rang?

Mr Williams: You're the one who made the claim on the radio this morning, Michael.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Deputy leader, you have asked the question.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: I will take that on notice. Given the resources required by ETSA, it may take some time.

The SPEAKER: I remind people in the gallery with cameras to film only the people who are actually on their feet. We seem to have a profusion of cameras today. The member for Ashford.