❓ Hon Kate Doust asks the Minister for Energy to list the 'mistakes' he referred to at an energy conference. The Minister avoids directly answering, instead highlighting the government's achievements and criticising the previous administration's performance in the energy sector.
AnsweredQoN 849Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
ENERGY
PORTFOLIO
849. Hon KATE DOUST to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the minister's remarks to the Energy in
Western Australia Conference 2012 this morning where he said ''I
understand our mistakes in the energy portfolio''. Will the minister
please list these mistakes?
PORTFOLIO
849. Hon KATE DOUST to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the minister's remarks to the Energy in
Western Australia Conference 2012 this morning where he said ''I
understand our mistakes in the energy portfolio''. Will the minister
please list these mistakes?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question. I am
staggered that she could actually quote me from an energy conference that she
did not attend.
Hon Kate Doust : How do you know? I have friends
there.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I can assure the member that she
was not there. She would probably find that I was misquoted.
As I said this morning, I have absolutely loved the energy
portfolio; it is a magnificent portfolio. It is a very complex and divergent
portfolio.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Do you mind? I am taking my
precedents from Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich, who insisted today that we do not have
interjections. I have great respect for Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich, so I will not be
taking interjections during this response.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Sorry, Mr President.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I should think so. With regard to
the energy portfolio, I will explain a couple of things. This morning I went
through a raft of initiatives that we have implemented and achievements that we
have had in the energy portfolio over the past four years. It was exciting
because when we put it on paper and looked at the rubbish that we inherited
comparative with what we have now, we could see that we have made some real
inroads. At the time we took over government —
Hon Simon O'Brien : We had the lights go out!
Hon PETER COLLIER : E xactly. The lights went out, we
had a gas explosion, we had no contingency plan, and Verve was running at a
loss in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Honestly, it was an absolute
disaster.
Point of Order
Hon
LIZ BEHJAT : During proceedings
earlier today, Hon Ed Dermer br ought
to the attention of the house the use of the word ''you''.
Several members on this side of the chamber are referring to the minister, in
answering his question, as ''you''. I ask you to ask them to
desist.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! There were so many
interjections all competing with each other that I did not hear any specific
comments from anybody.
Hon
ED DERMER : Mr President, I
also have a point of order.
The PRESIDENT : On the same point of order?
Hon ED DERMER : Yes.
Given that interjecting is
inherently disorderly behaviour, how can someone be pulled up on a point of
order when the form of words are used while they are interjecting?
The
PRESIDENT : There is
no point of order. My general comment is that it is common courtesy not to
refer to members as ''you''; it is to refer to them as the ''member
for'', ''the honourable'' or ''the minister for''
such and such. I think members should observe that courtesy within the house.
The minister is going to continue his answer in a concise and relevant way, as
he is required to do, without the assistance of about 12 other members
interjecting.
Questions
without Notice Resumed
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President. I will
continue.
I had the great opportunity today, as Minister for Energy, to
talk to the energy sector and go through the tremendous achievements we have
made over the past four years. The state government has invested hundreds of
millions of dollars into the energy sector; for example, in high–efficiency
gas turbines, the Midwest project, the tremendous inroads made in renewable
energy by almost doubling the renewable energy component—I inform the
Greens—from five per cent to over nine per cent. That includes the
206-megawatt Collgar Wind Farm at Merredin. I opened the 10-megawatt solar farm
in Greenough River in Geraldton two weeks ago. It is the largest solar farm in
Australia, but we do not get any accolades.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected .
Hon PETER COLLIER : The member has to listen to the
President!
The PRESIDENT : Order! We will get order in place
and then the minister can continue his answer.
Hon PETER COLLIER : So there!
In addition to that, we have consistently listened to the
energy sector. I announced today that one of the things to come out of the
strategic energy initiative was the desire on the part of the sector to have
input into decision making or in having dialogue with government. I announced
the establishment of a roundtable of industry heads of government as a whole.
That has been overwhelmingly received in a positive fashion by all throughout
the sector. In fact, the Western Australian Council of Social Service itself,
as part of that roundtable, put out a very complimentary media release today,
as did the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia. We have had
an enormous amount of positive feedback from the energy sector. It was a great
opportunity for me to sit and outline in very comprehensive terms what has been
achieved in the energy sector over the past four years. I thoroughly enjoyed
the experience. I thank the honourable member for the opportunity to outline
our achievements over the past four years.
staggered that she could actually quote me from an energy conference that she
did not attend.
Hon Kate Doust : How do you know? I have friends
there.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I can assure the member that she
was not there. She would probably find that I was misquoted.
As I said this morning, I have absolutely loved the energy
portfolio; it is a magnificent portfolio. It is a very complex and divergent
portfolio.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Do you mind? I am taking my
precedents from Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich, who insisted today that we do not have
interjections. I have great respect for Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich, so I will not be
taking interjections during this response.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Sorry, Mr President.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I should think so. With regard to
the energy portfolio, I will explain a couple of things. This morning I went
through a raft of initiatives that we have implemented and achievements that we
have had in the energy portfolio over the past four years. It was exciting
because when we put it on paper and looked at the rubbish that we inherited
comparative with what we have now, we could see that we have made some real
inroads. At the time we took over government —
Hon Simon O'Brien : We had the lights go out!
Hon PETER COLLIER : E xactly. The lights went out, we
had a gas explosion, we had no contingency plan, and Verve was running at a
loss in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Honestly, it was an absolute
disaster.
Point of Order
Hon
LIZ BEHJAT : During proceedings
earlier today, Hon Ed Dermer br ought
to the attention of the house the use of the word ''you''.
Several members on this side of the chamber are referring to the minister, in
answering his question, as ''you''. I ask you to ask them to
desist.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! There were so many
interjections all competing with each other that I did not hear any specific
comments from anybody.
Hon
ED DERMER : Mr President, I
also have a point of order.
The PRESIDENT : On the same point of order?
Hon ED DERMER : Yes.
Given that interjecting is
inherently disorderly behaviour, how can someone be pulled up on a point of
order when the form of words are used while they are interjecting?
The
PRESIDENT : There is
no point of order. My general comment is that it is common courtesy not to
refer to members as ''you''; it is to refer to them as the ''member
for'', ''the honourable'' or ''the minister for''
such and such. I think members should observe that courtesy within the house.
The minister is going to continue his answer in a concise and relevant way, as
he is required to do, without the assistance of about 12 other members
interjecting.
Questions
without Notice Resumed
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President. I will
continue.
I had the great opportunity today, as Minister for Energy, to
talk to the energy sector and go through the tremendous achievements we have
made over the past four years. The state government has invested hundreds of
millions of dollars into the energy sector; for example, in high–efficiency
gas turbines, the Midwest project, the tremendous inroads made in renewable
energy by almost doubling the renewable energy component—I inform the
Greens—from five per cent to over nine per cent. That includes the
206-megawatt Collgar Wind Farm at Merredin. I opened the 10-megawatt solar farm
in Greenough River in Geraldton two weeks ago. It is the largest solar farm in
Australia, but we do not get any accolades.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected .
Hon PETER COLLIER : The member has to listen to the
President!
The PRESIDENT : Order! We will get order in place
and then the minister can continue his answer.
Hon PETER COLLIER : So there!
In addition to that, we have consistently listened to the
energy sector. I announced today that one of the things to come out of the
strategic energy initiative was the desire on the part of the sector to have
input into decision making or in having dialogue with government. I announced
the establishment of a roundtable of industry heads of government as a whole.
That has been overwhelmingly received in a positive fashion by all throughout
the sector. In fact, the Western Australian Council of Social Service itself,
as part of that roundtable, put out a very complimentary media release today,
as did the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia. We have had
an enormous amount of positive feedback from the energy sector. It was a great
opportunity for me to sit and outline in very comprehensive terms what has been
achieved in the energy sector over the past four years. I thoroughly enjoyed
the experience. I thank the honourable member for the opportunity to outline
our achievements over the past four years.
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