House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-18 Daily Xml

Contents

Question Time

Home Battery Scheme

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:47): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Can the minister inform the house how the South Australian government is maximising the job benefits to South Australia from its Home Battery Scheme?

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:47): I can—a very sensible question from a very sensible member of parliament. This is a truly outstanding scheme. Members opposite pretend they don't like it, but I know that they think this is a fantastic scheme. Not only have we got the subsidy for the battery, not only have we got cheap loans for households to be able to finance the balance of the purchase price of the battery and new solar if they want to, not only are we doing these things for them and for all electricity—

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order, minister.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: This third—

The Hon. S.K. Knoll: You still haven't got one done properly, have you, Stevo?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Yes, yes, we'll all pay attention—

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —to you shortly.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Lee, point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Will that salve your ego?

The SPEAKER: Order! Is there a point of order, member for Lee?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Yes, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: My point of order is that this third government question will make it 12 minutes and 20 per cent of question time, which the Minister for Energy—

The SPEAKER: This is a speech.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —is using—

The SPEAKER: This is a speech and, member for Lee, if you don't—

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —to repeat information which has already been published in a press release.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee will be seated. Member for Lee, you've made your point; I have taken your point. I have the minister's press release of 8 September on my phone, and I will be listening very carefully to this answer. Minister.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Thank you, Speaker. Not only—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Not only are we allowing South Australian households, 40,000 of them, to access this fantastic program, not only are we going to deliver cheaper electricity for all South Australians—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: The benefits don't stop there. We are going to create more jobs in this state as well. We are going to create more jobs through the delivery of this program. There are installers and battery suppliers lining up to get on board. They know that their businesses will also benefit along with the households and the rest of the electricity consumers.

We are deliberately making as many benefits for as many people as possible accessible through this program. So not only existing battery suppliers, not only existing battery installers and solar installers as well, but the icing on the cake has been the commitment from a world-renowned battery manufacturing company, Sonnen, to come to South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —and establish a manufacturing hub at Elizabeth.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker: not only—

The SPEAKER: What is the point of the order?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —has this information—

The SPEAKER: What is the point of order?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —been previously provided to the house and to the public—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —it was done so by the previous government.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee can depart under 137A for the remainder of question time. Raising points of order is not an opportunity to make an impromptu speech.

Members interjecting: