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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-09-11 Daily Xml
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Power Prices

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:37): My question is to the Premier. What does the Premier say to Mr Jon Seeley of Seeley International about the cost of power in South Australia? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: It has been reported that Seeley International, which produces air conditioning and gas heaters, saw almost a 60 per cent increase in their power bills. He said:

…we do have to pass on price increases through to our customers.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:37): There is often the saying in politics, 'Don't listen to what people say, look at what they do.' I saw Jon Seeley the day he made those comments to The Advertiser, and he reminded me that he was closing a factory in Victoria and moving it to South Australia. I have to say that using these people's names in the parliament in a partisan way really doesn't sort of befit—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No. I don't leak on my colleagues. I don't drop them off to journalists waiting to quiz them about videos. I don't claim something to be fake and then do nothing about it. No, that's not me, but you have taught everyone a valuable lesson, haven't you? Cross you and who knows what comes out. Don't cross the leader, that's right. It's a very, very valuable lesson you have taught each and every one of them. They know.

The Seeley family is a great South Australian family who do remarkable things. They have operations in the United States and here in South Australia. They make a wonderful product that is extremely efficient and is being used across the country. We want to see that grow.

Obviously, that company is not immune to the cost pressures across the country that every jurisdiction is facing. If the member opposite had an alternative policy we could compare, or if there was a jurisdiction in Australia that was able to produce cheaper power because they were experiencing some sort of unique set of circumstances that not every other jurisdiction is doing, point to it.

But the truth is there isn't, because we are all in this together. The entire country is facing this challenge. As the Premier said, there has been policy paralysis. There were no new wind farms opened during the period of the previous government.

We need renewable energy built. We need renewable energy to be firmed. The way you do that is either with long duration batteries, long duration storage or gas. What members opposite are telling us is they want to wait 10 or 20 years for nuclear base load to do firming services on renewables. That type of policy paralysis will mean nothing will be built. Then they will be telling the Seeley family and every other South Australian family business, 'You think you don't like power prices now. Wait until Peter Dutton's plan is rolled out. We will be doing nothing for two decades.'

I have to say we are yet to hear an alternative policy. We hear plenty of hot air. There is plenty of undermining of David Speirs in the media. We hear plenty of that. What we don't see is an alternative policy. We see rearranging deckchairs. What did Peds do wrong? What did the member for Colton do wrong? What did you do wrong?

The SPEAKER: Minister, the member for Bragg has a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: And those who benefit get up.

Mr BATTY: I don't know what the minister is on about.

The SPEAKER: Could those on my right please listen in silence. I can't hear the point of order.

Mr BATTY: I don't know what the minister is on about and what is has to do with power prices.

The SPEAKER: Do you have a number for your point of order?

Mr BATTY: 98, 127—take your pick.

The SPEAKER: Whatever it takes—it sounds like a Michael Keaton movie, Mr Mom.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: 'Whatever it takes' is a Graham Richardson saying. I think that the Seeley family is regarded very highly in South Australia, especially by this government. I have met with the Seeley family on a number of occasions about a lot of the pressures that they are facing. I think they recognise this as a national problem, not a uniquely South Australian problem. I think their moving operations to South Australia speaks volumes about their confidence in their state, despite other people trying to talk South Australia down.

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