❓ Hon Kate Doust questions the Minister for Energy, Hon Peter Collier, about delays and budget overruns in energy projects, demanding his resignation. Collier refuses, blaming the previous Labor government for the energy sector's problems.
AnsweredQoN 709Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
ENERGY PORTFOLIO
709. Hon KATE DOUST to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the minister's joint media release with
the Premier dated 11 May 2009 announcing the Muja refurbishment and the Kwinana
high-efficiency gas turbine plant and to the fact that the HEGT was delivered
late, over budget and subject to over $20 million in capacity penalties. Now
that the Muja refurbishment is also late, over budget and subject to penalties,
will the minister take responsibility for this and his litany of other failures
and resign?
709. Hon KATE DOUST to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the minister's joint media release with
the Premier dated 11 May 2009 announcing the Muja refurbishment and the Kwinana
high-efficiency gas turbine plant and to the fact that the HEGT was delivered
late, over budget and subject to over $20 million in capacity penalties. Now
that the Muja refurbishment is also late, over budget and subject to penalties,
will the minister take responsibility for this and his litany of other failures
and resign?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question. No, I
certainly will not be resigning. I will explain to the house the debacle that I
inherited when I took over the energy portfolio.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! We have heard the question.
Now let us hear the answer.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I would love to have another
question about the $800 million that Hon
Ljiljanna Ravlich keeps carrying on about, but I do not really listen to
her.
Several members interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Not even close.
Several members interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : The member said $ 600 million.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Minister, address the
question; members, stop interjecting.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I think that Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich needs to
clarify her points on that one; she is absolutely 100 per cent wrong.
When we took over government, we were faced with a —
Hon Kate Doust interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order!
Hon PETER COLLIER : I am answering the question. The
member asked a question without notice.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! We will finish in a short
time. I do not want this question to take up the rest of the time allocated
before we adjourn.
Hon PETER COLLIER : We had run out of electricity. We
had a gas explosion at Varanus Island. We did not have a contingency plan from
the then government. We had corporations that were running at losses of
hundreds of millions of dollars. We had not had a tariff increase in the entire
time of the Labor administration. We had an energy sector that was in complete
disarray. We now have plenty of electricity for Western Australians.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order, members! I have asked you to
stop interjecting. There is a constant flow. It has to stop.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Members opposite are being a bit
sensitive today and are getting very annoying.
The PRESIDENT : Order! I will judge who is
annoying. At the moment, there are quite a few on the list! Address the
question, minister.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I am, Mr President.
As a result of the Gas Supply and
Emergency Management Committee, the energy sector now has much more stable and
secure electricity supplies than it has ever had before. We have made the
difficult but necessary decisions about electricity tariffs. We have increased
the renewable energy component in the south west interconnected system by
almost double, which is a lot more than the Labor Party ever did. The lights
are on. We have a very high reliability rate with electricity. There will not
be too much positive news in the energy sector; that is just the nature of the
beast. Yes, the HEGT did increase in cost. There is now over 200 megawatts of
capacity, which can be ramped up whenever we have pressure on the system.
Hon Kate Doust interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Mr President, she is being very
annoying.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Kate Doust has stretched my tolerance as far as I can bear
it, so, please, no more interjecting. Minister, I think you are nearly coming
to the end of your answer.
Hon PETER COLLIER : That was just my introduction! I
apologise, Mr President.
Hon Ken Travers interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Do not start.
Suffice to say, we have done an enormous amount for the
energy sector. As I said, it will not get too many accolades, but the good part
about it is that what we have provided in power generation is much more secure
and we have a much more financially viable energy sector than we have had in
the past. We have increased the renewable component in the energy sector. I
certainly will not be resigning, but I can look back on the previous four years
of the Liberal–National government and say that we have made some
enormous inroads and positive contributions to the energy sector in Western
Australia.
certainly will not be resigning. I will explain to the house the debacle that I
inherited when I took over the energy portfolio.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! We have heard the question.
Now let us hear the answer.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I would love to have another
question about the $800 million that Hon
Ljiljanna Ravlich keeps carrying on about, but I do not really listen to
her.
Several members interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Not even close.
Several members interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : The member said $ 600 million.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Minister, address the
question; members, stop interjecting.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I think that Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich needs to
clarify her points on that one; she is absolutely 100 per cent wrong.
When we took over government, we were faced with a —
Hon Kate Doust interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order!
Hon PETER COLLIER : I am answering the question. The
member asked a question without notice.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! We will finish in a short
time. I do not want this question to take up the rest of the time allocated
before we adjourn.
Hon PETER COLLIER : We had run out of electricity. We
had a gas explosion at Varanus Island. We did not have a contingency plan from
the then government. We had corporations that were running at losses of
hundreds of millions of dollars. We had not had a tariff increase in the entire
time of the Labor administration. We had an energy sector that was in complete
disarray. We now have plenty of electricity for Western Australians.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order, members! I have asked you to
stop interjecting. There is a constant flow. It has to stop.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Members opposite are being a bit
sensitive today and are getting very annoying.
The PRESIDENT : Order! I will judge who is
annoying. At the moment, there are quite a few on the list! Address the
question, minister.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I am, Mr President.
As a result of the Gas Supply and
Emergency Management Committee, the energy sector now has much more stable and
secure electricity supplies than it has ever had before. We have made the
difficult but necessary decisions about electricity tariffs. We have increased
the renewable energy component in the south west interconnected system by
almost double, which is a lot more than the Labor Party ever did. The lights
are on. We have a very high reliability rate with electricity. There will not
be too much positive news in the energy sector; that is just the nature of the
beast. Yes, the HEGT did increase in cost. There is now over 200 megawatts of
capacity, which can be ramped up whenever we have pressure on the system.
Hon Kate Doust interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Mr President, she is being very
annoying.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Kate Doust has stretched my tolerance as far as I can bear
it, so, please, no more interjecting. Minister, I think you are nearly coming
to the end of your answer.
Hon PETER COLLIER : That was just my introduction! I
apologise, Mr President.
Hon Ken Travers interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Do not start.
Suffice to say, we have done an enormous amount for the
energy sector. As I said, it will not get too many accolades, but the good part
about it is that what we have provided in power generation is much more secure
and we have a much more financially viable energy sector than we have had in
the past. We have increased the renewable component in the energy sector. I
certainly will not be resigning, but I can look back on the previous four years
of the Liberal–National government and say that we have made some
enormous inroads and positive contributions to the energy sector in Western
Australia.
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