❓ Dr. Honey questions the Minister for Energy about the potential $1 billion+ remediation cost of disused Collie mine pits related to pumped hydro. The Minister dismisses the figure and questions Dr. Honey's source, leading to a heated exchange.
AnsweredQoN 424Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUMPED HYDRO — COLLIE
424. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Energy:
I have a supplementary question.
Can the minister reassure Western Australians that taxpayers will not
ultimately be picking up the $1 billion-plus remediation cost for those disused
pits?
424. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Energy:
I have a supplementary question.
Can the minister reassure Western Australians that taxpayers will not
ultimately be picking up the $1 billion-plus remediation cost for those disused
pits?
AnswerView source ↗
This is the thing about the member
for Cottesloe. He comes up with these stupid things. I have never heard anybody
suggest that there is a billion-dollar liability. I have never had anybody say
that. Where did the member get that information? Who gave that to him?
Dr D.J. Honey : It's
published. I'll send you the reference.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : He sits
there and invents a figure that no-one has ever said, and now he cannot tell me
the source. Who is the source?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Who is the
source? The member talks about accountability and openness. All we want to know
is the name of the organisation that gave him the estimate, not of a billion
dollars, but apparently $1.2 billion. He sits there. He knows who told him that
figure, but he will not share it, even with his own colleagues. Not even his own colleagues are worth it. He will not share
that information with anybody. What an embarrassment! I can tell you
this, member: one of the current mining companies down there has an estimated
cost of $40 million.
Dr D.J. Honey : For that whole
site? You're joking!
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I am
telling the member what it says. I am not saying it is accurate.
Dr D.J. Honey : As the
minister for mines, you should check it out.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I am
sorry. This is the problem with you. Firstly, you asked the Minister for
Energy, not the Minister for Mines and Petroleum. The Minister for Mines and
Petroleum's responsibilities are enlivened when the state agreement ceases, not prior to the cessation of the state
agreement. You worked for Alcoa. Alcoa is covered by a state agreement.
Surely you know that. You were a senior executive of Alcoa. Are you telling me
that you did not know that your business was
regulated by the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade, not the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum? How silly are you?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! That
concludes question time.
for Cottesloe. He comes up with these stupid things. I have never heard anybody
suggest that there is a billion-dollar liability. I have never had anybody say
that. Where did the member get that information? Who gave that to him?
Dr D.J. Honey : It's
published. I'll send you the reference.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : He sits
there and invents a figure that no-one has ever said, and now he cannot tell me
the source. Who is the source?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Who is the
source? The member talks about accountability and openness. All we want to know
is the name of the organisation that gave him the estimate, not of a billion
dollars, but apparently $1.2 billion. He sits there. He knows who told him that
figure, but he will not share it, even with his own colleagues. Not even his own colleagues are worth it. He will not share
that information with anybody. What an embarrassment! I can tell you
this, member: one of the current mining companies down there has an estimated
cost of $40 million.
Dr D.J. Honey : For that whole
site? You're joking!
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I am
telling the member what it says. I am not saying it is accurate.
Dr D.J. Honey : As the
minister for mines, you should check it out.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I am
sorry. This is the problem with you. Firstly, you asked the Minister for
Energy, not the Minister for Mines and Petroleum. The Minister for Mines and
Petroleum's responsibilities are enlivened when the state agreement ceases, not prior to the cessation of the state
agreement. You worked for Alcoa. Alcoa is covered by a state agreement.
Surely you know that. You were a senior executive of Alcoa. Are you telling me
that you did not know that your business was
regulated by the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade, not the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum? How silly are you?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! That
concludes question time.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
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.