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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-28 Daily Xml
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Renewable Energy

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:21): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Can the minister update the house on how the government is delivering jobs in renewables, and are there any other alternative approaches?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Before the minister answers the question, I respectfully ask the member for Ramsay to please leave for 30 minutes under 137A. Other members on both sides will join her if this continues.

The honourable member for Ramsay having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:22): This is an important question from the member for Heysen, who is very focused on this sort of thing. He knows, as all of our team does, how important it is to bring down the price of electricity, improve the reliability and make it cleaner and greener, but that's not all we are doing. We are creating jobs as well—new, skilled jobs in South Australia—something that the previous government failed to do.

Mr Malinauskas: The member for Davenport is looking straight towards the middle of your back.

The SPEAKER: Order, leader! The leader is warned.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Not only did they push up the price of electricity—

The Hon. R. Sanderson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Child Protection is warned.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —and make the people suffer with blackouts but they also didn't deliver any new jobs. We are using this policy to deliver jobs as well. We have brought into South Australia through our home battery scheme three new assembly manufacturing plants: Sonnen, Alpha ESS—

Mr Odenwalder interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Elizabeth can leave for half an hour for applauding and looking towards the member for Cheltenham.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Elizabeth, not Lee.

The honourable member for Elizabeth having withdrawn from the chamber:

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond can join him for half an hour.

The honourable member for Hammond having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Stop the clock.

The SPEAKER: Yes, stop the clock, please.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Put it back. I just lost a lot of valuable information to share.

The SPEAKER: Minister, this is not the NBA. The minister has the call.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Thank you. Sonnen, Alpha ESS and Eguana. A very important point about Sonnen is that it is the first company to come and develop manufacturing here. The previous government tried to do a deal with them; it fell apart. It absolutely fell apart, but we saved it. We saved it like we're going to save Health—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —and like we're going to save Education. We saved it. Let me just—

The Hon. J.W. Weatherill interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Cheltenham is called to order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —explain further. We've got nearly 200 jobs.

Mr Duluk: Are you still here, Jay?

The SPEAKER: The member for Waite can leave for half an hour.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left will be joining him.

The honourable member for Waite having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: I think I need another minute back, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We are focused on creating jobs. Through our Home Battery Scheme, we will bring over 800 new jobs into South Australia, which is very important. The previous government did start the Telstra virtual power plant.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Tesla, not Telstra.

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is warned.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Mr Speaker, the previous government did start the Tesla virtual power plant, but guess what? We are improving it; we are making it better and better and better. Today, we have announced—

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wright is warned.

Mr Picton: You're going to bring in some coal, are you?

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Today, we have announced the beginning of phase 2: another 1,000 battery panels brought into the state. Let me tell you that one of the ways we are improving it is by speaking the truth. You will remember, Mr Speaker, that before the last election the previous premier and the previous treasurer went to Tindo Solar and made an announcement that with the Tesla VPP program Tindo Solar would get 50 per cent of the panels through this program. They said that publicly, but guess what? It didn't happen and do you know why it didn't happen?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hurtle Vale and the member for Giles are warned.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: And I would like another minute, please, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: I will give the minister 30 seconds.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Thanks.

The SPEAKER: He has been interrupted a lot. Minister, 30 seconds.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Guess what? The previous government made a promise to Tindo—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —and then failed to include that promise in their contract with Tesla. So Tesla is doing what they should be doing—honouring the contract. We are honouring the contract, as we said we would. We are honouring contracts that the previous government entered into on behalf of the state, but we cannot honour the broken promises of the previous government. Not only did they deliver the world's highest electricity prices and more blackouts than ever but they made a promise to Tindo which they failed to deliver on.

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