❓ The Premier addresses the House regarding the Apache Energy gas plant explosion and the government's efforts to mitigate the resulting energy shortage, including discussions with the Prime Minister for support. The response includes political commentary and accusations against the opposition.
AnsweredQoN 325Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
APACHE ENERGY GAS PLANT EXPLOSION — GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS TO MINIMISE IMPACT
Can the Premier please update the house on the government’s latest efforts to minimise the impact of the state’s energy shortage? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
Can the Premier please update the house on the government’s latest efforts to minimise the impact of the state’s energy shortage? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question, and for her interest in this issue, which it would be fair to say is an issue that should interest all Western Australians. The difference in attitude between the various segments of the community is quite stark. The overwhelming majority of the broader community has accepted this issue and is addressing it responsibly. I am not surprised at the approach taken by the opposition, but in many ways it reinforces my view of the opposition. I get a funny feeling that, because the Leader of the Opposition is under so much internal pressure, he desperately wants to see the state fall into crisis. I get a funny feeling that, because he has no support around him, the Leader of the Opposition desperately wants to see the lights go out in Western Australia. I get a funny feeling that this agitation burning away inside the Leader of the Opposition is driven by the fact that no-one sitting around him actually supports him, except for the member sitting behind him—the member for South Perth—and how he retains that position is a miracle. I might be off the mark, but I get the feeling that the Leader of the Opposition actually wants people in Western Australia to be deprived of energy and plunged into blackness. Dr K.D. Hames : You are trying to hide behind the problem so that you can make a big man out of yourself. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question, and for her interest in this issue, which it would be fair to say is an issue that should interest all Western Australians. The difference in attitude between the various segments of the community is quite stark. The overwhelming majority of the broader community has accepted this issue and is addressing it responsibly. I am not surprised at the approach taken by the opposition, but in many ways it reinforces my view of the opposition. I get a funny feeling that, because the Leader of the Opposition is under so much internal pressure, he desperately wants to see the state fall into crisis. I get a funny feeling that, because he has no support around him, the Leader of the Opposition desperately wants to see the lights go out in Western Australia. I get a funny feeling that this agitation burning away inside the Leader of the Opposition is driven by the fact that no-one sitting around him actually supports him, except for the member sitting behind him—the member for South Perth—and how he retains that position is a miracle. I might be off the mark, but I get the feeling that the Leader of the Opposition actually wants people in Western Australia to be deprived of energy and plunged into blackness. Dr K.D. Hames : You are trying to hide behind the problem so that you can make a big man out of yourself. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
I thank the member for the question, and for her interest in this issue, which it would be fair to say is an issue that should interest all Western Australians. The difference in attitude between the various segments of the community is quite stark. The overwhelming majority of the broader community has accepted this issue and is addressing it responsibly. I am not surprised at the approach taken by the opposition, but in many ways it reinforces my view of the opposition. I get a funny feeling that, because the Leader of the Opposition is under so much internal pressure, he desperately wants to see the state fall into crisis. I get a funny feeling that, because he has no support around him, the Leader of the Opposition desperately wants to see the lights go out in Western Australia. I get a funny feeling that this agitation burning away inside the Leader of the Opposition is driven by the fact that no-one sitting around him actually supports him, except for the member sitting behind him—the member for South Perth—and how he retains that position is a miracle. I might be off the mark, but I get the feeling that the Leader of the Opposition actually wants people in Western Australia to be deprived of energy and plunged into blackness. Dr K.D. Hames : You are trying to hide behind the problem so that you can make a big man out of yourself. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Dr K.D. Hames : You are trying to hide behind the problem so that you can make a big man out of yourself. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question, and for her interest in this issue, which it would be fair to say is an issue that should interest all Western Australians. The difference in attitude between the various segments of the community is quite stark. The overwhelming majority of the broader community has accepted this issue and is addressing it responsibly. I am not surprised at the approach taken by the opposition, but in many ways it reinforces my view of the opposition. I get a funny feeling that, because the Leader of the Opposition is under so much internal pressure, he desperately wants to see the state fall into crisis. I get a funny feeling that, because he has no support around him, the Leader of the Opposition desperately wants to see the lights go out in Western Australia. I get a funny feeling that this agitation burning away inside the Leader of the Opposition is driven by the fact that no-one sitting around him actually supports him, except for the member sitting behind him—the member for South Perth—and how he retains that position is a miracle. I might be off the mark, but I get the feeling that the Leader of the Opposition actually wants people in Western Australia to be deprived of energy and plunged into blackness. Dr K.D. Hames : You are trying to hide behind the problem so that you can make a big man out of yourself. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
I thank the member for the question, and for her interest in this issue, which it would be fair to say is an issue that should interest all Western Australians. The difference in attitude between the various segments of the community is quite stark. The overwhelming majority of the broader community has accepted this issue and is addressing it responsibly. I am not surprised at the approach taken by the opposition, but in many ways it reinforces my view of the opposition. I get a funny feeling that, because the Leader of the Opposition is under so much internal pressure, he desperately wants to see the state fall into crisis. I get a funny feeling that, because he has no support around him, the Leader of the Opposition desperately wants to see the lights go out in Western Australia. I get a funny feeling that this agitation burning away inside the Leader of the Opposition is driven by the fact that no-one sitting around him actually supports him, except for the member sitting behind him—the member for South Perth—and how he retains that position is a miracle. I might be off the mark, but I get the feeling that the Leader of the Opposition actually wants people in Western Australia to be deprived of energy and plunged into blackness. Dr K.D. Hames : You are trying to hide behind the problem so that you can make a big man out of yourself. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Dr K.D. Hames : You are trying to hide behind the problem so that you can make a big man out of yourself. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : All I can say is that the intelligence level of the opposition, and the capacity to articulate that intelligence level, is astounding. Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr T. Buswell : Have a look at your Minister for Energy if you want to talk about intelligence levels. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : At some point or other, Mr Speaker, you will throw the Leader of the Opposition out of the Parliament. My comments yesterday about his presence in the chamber actually referred to the miracle of his survival here. You are incredibly lenient with him. His undisciplined and immature approach to his position is noted by all. First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
First of all, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister this morning. I made him aware of the situation facing Western Australia today, and I stressed the high level of cooperation being displayed by all the interested stakeholders. I am very heartened by that. Some of those stakeholders, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, represent businesses and individuals who are under a great deal of stress, but they have been very responsible and mature in the way that they have dealt with this issue in cooperation with the government, and I am grateful for that. I explained to the Prime Minister that the gas supply from Varanus Island would potentially not be resumed for several months, and that it was very difficult to quantify the impact of the shortage on the economy because of the uncertainty that prevails, not only for the longer term but also on a day-to-day basis. It is not possible to remove 30 per cent of any economy’s gas supply and expect there to be no impact, or even that the impact can be minutely quantifiable day by day. There are so many variables. The Prime Minister understood that perfectly, because he has the capacity to understand that sort of explanation. We discussed the issues, including the possibility of ex gratia payments to affected people, as well as the possibility of waiving Centrelink eligibility requirements and asset tests that would normally apply, so that we can respond quickly and supportively to people in need because they have lost their employment, albeit temporarily. Mr Rudd agreed to continue discussions with the state about other measures that could be provided to help people and communities directly affected. On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I thank him and the federal government for their willingness to step up to the plate and support us. It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
It is worth noting that this afternoon the Prime Minister updated the federal Parliament about the gas shortage, and the words he used were very significant. He said that it was a serious issue for Western Australia and therefore a serious issue for the nation, with the effects expected to wash through the entire economy. This recognition of Western Australia’s great contribution to the national economy is welcome. While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
While the situation is extremely serious, the cooperation I mentioned, for which we are all grateful, is helping to ameliorate the impact on the state. Yesterday I thanked the business community, in particular the Property Council and the property owners of Western Australia, for coming together voluntarily to discuss the ways in which they can contribute to the management of the situation. Last night I think everybody would have noticed a very considerable reduction in the amount of lighting across the Perth central business district. That immediate and tangible response sends a powerful signal to the rest of the community that property owners and businesses are playing their part. The goodwill has been echoed across households. During Perth’s morning peak period today—a very cold day when normally we could expect electricity consumption to spike considerably—there was in fact a two per cent reduction in the average consumption, against that very, very cold morning background. I think that is very significant. That, in effect, saved 40 to 50 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of what is needed to run a community the size of Geraldton. Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Ms S.M. McHale : Well done. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I think it is very significant. We would normally have expected a significant spike in electricity consumption on a morning such as this morning. Instead, there was a two per cent reduction on average, and just that two per cent was significant in that under other circumstances it could power a city the size of Geraldton. Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : To give people a better idea — Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Dr S.C. Thomas : Did you save any gas? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Capel is an interesting little character. He grabs little bits and pieces of information or issues and growls with them, like a little terrier dog. He keeps asking, “Did you save any gas? Did you save any gas?” The member for Capel actually represents an area in which some of the coalmining activity takes place. He should know what the member for — Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr T. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
The SPEAKER : I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Capel to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The three frontbenchers are exhibiting complete immaturity and irresponsibility on a continuing basis, not only external to the Parliament, but also in the Parliament itself, where they should be setting some sort of example. No wonder they have been abandoned by all but the rather sad figure of the member for South Perth sitting behind them, nodding like a dog in the back window of a car. A significant proportion of the state’s electricity in the south west interconnected system is gas fired. I will leave it at that, shall I? We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
We are slowly but surely seeing a growing number of people accessing our hotlines. Yesterday I reported that only two or three people had accessed either hotline. By lunchtime today, the worker hardship hotline had received 11 calls cumulatively, and the Energy Smart hotline had taken about 20 calls from people seeking advice on things such as water, heating and appliance running costs. Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
Last night I took the opportunity offered to me by the commercial television networks, for which again we are grateful, to address the people of the state of Western Australia directly to try to inform them in broad terms of the situation and to request their assistance in managing it. I am grateful for the response today at Forrest Place. The Sustainable Energy Development Office had a caravan down there to try to heighten people’s awareness of the capacity to reduce energy consumption in the home. It attracted a lot of attention, shall I say. There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
There is a degree of cynicism, as well as the general immaturity that we get from the opposition, about these sorts of approaches. I make absolutely no apology for what we are trying to do. I make no apology for making sure that, as best we can, we get everybody to cooperate and we give everybody the understanding that this is an issue that affects all of us. It is not an issue for business and the government; this is an issue that affects all of us, apparently except for two or three people on the front bench of the opposition—sadly, except for them. There is a degree of cynicism in some elements of the reporting of the situation, but that is normal for those sorts of people. Sadly, there are those people in the media who are born cynics and who cannot extract themselves from that mindset and see things as they are for other people who can approach an issue with a genuine intent to try to address it. However, so far, with the assistance of the electronic media, I think we are getting a good message across to people, and they are responding, as I anticipated ordinary Western Australians would, with a desire to be of assistance, and I am grateful for that.
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Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.