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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-02-07 Daily Xml
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ENERGY PRICES

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (14:56): Given the answer from the minister, what action is the government taking to revise the summer electricity tariff?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:56): As members opposite might be aware, or not aware, AGL charges a summer tariff for the period 1 January to 31 March each year, and they charge higher usage rates for this period when, obviously, there is greater demand on the system. That was something that ESCOSA approved when AGL applied. Under a deregulated market, member for Fisher, South Australians are free to choose market contracts that do not have a summer tariff.

My office has done an analysis of the Australian Energy Regulator's Energy Made Easy price comparator and I am advised that it reveals that retailers, including Simply Energy, Momentum Energy, Red Energy, Lumo Energy and Powerdirect, offer contracts to South Australian customers and do not charge a summer tariff. The idea of deregulation, in my mind and in the government's mind, is to break the power away from the large retailers and encourage South Australians to move to smaller retailers that offer larger discounts. The problem with privatisation was that we all went to a large—

The SPEAKER: I think the member for Fisher's question has been answered. Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

MEMORIAL SERVICE, MINISTERIAL ATTENDANCE

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:57): My question is again to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. When the minister became aware that the event to which she had accepted an invitation was, in fact, a memorial to members of a banned terrorist group, which the minister has indicated today caused her some concern, why then did she not withdraw from the event?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:58): It surprises me—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: It doesn't surprise you, it disappoints.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: It doesn't surprise me, it disappoints me that questions about three women being slaughtered in Paris going about their lawful business are something that the member for Bragg, who purports to be a supporter of women, would raise in this place but, nevertheless, I gave a commitment to a small community organisation that I would attend—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister, would you be seated. I warn the member for Unley for the first time.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —a small Kurdish community organisation. I think it was their second only function since they had established themselves, and it was being held in a community house in my electorate on the day that I returned from leave. I had said I would go to their function, and I honoured that commitment, but when I spoke at that event, I spoke about how unacceptable it is to try and resolve differences through violence.

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