Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-06-19 Daily Xml

Contents

Water and Sewerage Infrastructure

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:06): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the question of the Minister for Water and the River Murray on third-party access.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The Department of Treasury and Finance published a report entitled 'Access to water and sewerage infrastructure' in February 2013. It raised the option of ESCOSA's regulatory role being extended to include a state-based third-party access regime. Submissions to the Department of Treasury and Finance closed in March 2013 with the expectation that a draft third-party access bill would be released by mid-2013 for further consultation and introduction into parliament in September 2013.

A draft bill was provided at the last possible moment last year without any opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny and in the face of industry concerns that it was not worth the paper it was written on. I ask the minister: when will the government table a third-party access bill as required under the Water Industry Act?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:07): I thank the honourable member for his most petulant question and my answer is: soon.