❓ Opposition questions Premier about electricity price increases, citing financial strain on families and a 'billion dollar black hole'. Premier defends the increases as necessary and accuses the opposition of planning even larger increases.
AnsweredQoN 156Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICITY TARIFFS
I remind the Premier of a statement he made in Parliament last week in which he said — . . . chaos in the Western Australian electricity industry. What chaos? Can someone tell me: where is the chaos? Can someone tell me: where is the crisis? Can someone tell me? It is just palpable nonsense. I also refer to the Premier’s announcement last Friday to increase residential electricity prices. (1) Does the Premier understand what impact these price increases—that is, 10 per cent every year for the foreseeable future—will have on Western Australian families who are already struggling financially? (2) Does the Premier understand the impact the $1 billion black hole left by his taxpayer-funded bailout of Verve Energy will have on education, health services, other public services and the finances of this state? (3) Will the Premier now stop trying to pass the buck, and take responsibility for this crisis and apologise to the public of Western Australia for the incompetence and mismanagement that has led to the biggest financial scandal in the history of this state? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
I remind the Premier of a statement he made in Parliament last week in which he said — . . . chaos in the Western Australian electricity industry. What chaos? Can someone tell me: where is the chaos? Can someone tell me: where is the crisis? Can someone tell me? It is just palpable nonsense. I also refer to the Premier’s announcement last Friday to increase residential electricity prices. (1) Does the Premier understand what impact these price increases—that is, 10 per cent every year for the foreseeable future—will have on Western Australian families who are already struggling financially? (2) Does the Premier understand the impact the $1 billion black hole left by his taxpayer-funded bailout of Verve Energy will have on education, health services, other public services and the finances of this state? (3) Will the Premier now stop trying to pass the buck, and take responsibility for this crisis and apologise to the public of Western Australia for the incompetence and mismanagement that has led to the biggest financial scandal in the history of this state? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
(1) Does the Premier understand what impact these price increases—that is, 10 per cent every year for the foreseeable future—will have on Western Australian families who are already struggling financially? (2) Does the Premier understand the impact the $1 billion black hole left by his taxpayer-funded bailout of Verve Energy will have on education, health services, other public services and the finances of this state? (3) Will the Premier now stop trying to pass the buck, and take responsibility for this crisis and apologise to the public of Western Australia for the incompetence and mismanagement that has led to the biggest financial scandal in the history of this state? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
(2) Does the Premier understand the impact the $1 billion black hole left by his taxpayer-funded bailout of Verve Energy will have on education, health services, other public services and the finances of this state? (3) Will the Premier now stop trying to pass the buck, and take responsibility for this crisis and apologise to the public of Western Australia for the incompetence and mismanagement that has led to the biggest financial scandal in the history of this state? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
(3) Will the Premier now stop trying to pass the buck, and take responsibility for this crisis and apologise to the public of Western Australia for the incompetence and mismanagement that has led to the biggest financial scandal in the history of this state? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
(1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
(1) Does the Premier understand what impact these price increases—that is, 10 per cent every year for the foreseeable future—will have on Western Australian families who are already struggling financially? (2) Does the Premier understand the impact the $1 billion black hole left by his taxpayer-funded bailout of Verve Energy will have on education, health services, other public services and the finances of this state? (3) Will the Premier now stop trying to pass the buck, and take responsibility for this crisis and apologise to the public of Western Australia for the incompetence and mismanagement that has led to the biggest financial scandal in the history of this state? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
(2) Does the Premier understand the impact the $1 billion black hole left by his taxpayer-funded bailout of Verve Energy will have on education, health services, other public services and the finances of this state? (3) Will the Premier now stop trying to pass the buck, and take responsibility for this crisis and apologise to the public of Western Australia for the incompetence and mismanagement that has led to the biggest financial scandal in the history of this state? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
(3) Will the Premier now stop trying to pass the buck, and take responsibility for this crisis and apologise to the public of Western Australia for the incompetence and mismanagement that has led to the biggest financial scandal in the history of this state? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition Liberal Party for the question. (1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
(1)-(3) I stand by what I said last week. It has emerged though, of course, as we now know, that Liberal Party members, if they get into government, will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. They intend to increase power prices immediately by 47 per cent. If they do not intend to do that, they had better detail their intention, because that is what their arguments lead to. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Minister for Energy are telling the people of Western Australia that they should be paying a 47 per cent price increase in a single year. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is what they are saying to people. Liberal Party members are telling the people of Western Australia that if they get into government, they will increase power prices by 47 per cent in one year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day : How did you come up with this idea? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They should outline their alternatives, then. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is what has happened. Last week in the Parliament I said — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Last week in the Parliament I gave the commitment that as soon as we had the final details of the Office of Energy report, which would tell us what the likely scenarios for power pricing into the future were, I would release them. Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day : And that magically appeared on Thursday! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It did not happen magically; it happened on Thursday night. I could have waited until this week, I could have waited until later, but I honoured my commitment. Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day : Do you honestly expect us to believe that rubbish? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I released the information the following day. I informed the Treasurer and the Minister for Energy, and I held a press conference at one o’clock the following day. Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day : And you did all those briefings and all your statements in one hit; did you? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No, the following day. There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
There is a significant difference between the way I deal with issues and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with issues. I am honest. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I deal with issues honestly. At the moment no-one on our side of the house is expressing any comment about the Leader of the Opposition’s honesty; they do not have to, because members of his own side have done that. I have told people honestly what the situation is, and I have told them at the first available opportunity. We have structured a prospective power-pricing regime that will soften the impact on ordinary Western Australians, because I believe that to increase power prices by 47 per cent or more in a single hit would be too much for ordinary householders to absorb. I have therefore given a commitment that that will not happen and that power prices will be increased in stages annually for six to eight years until we get to cost-reflective pricing. I have also given a commitment reiterating the commitment I gave to this Parliament last year that there would be no increase in electricity prices for householders in Western Australia before the end of the next financial year—15 months. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I honoured the commitment — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : I ask the Premier to take his seat. The member for Darling Range perhaps cannot hear all the way up to the chair, but when I am telling members not to interject, it is not a sign for him to keep talking non-stop. I call the member for Darling Range to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have therefore honoured the commitment I gave when I was Minister for Energy in 2005 that the standard tariff — Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : — for household domestic consumers would not increase until the end of the 2008-09 financial year. I gave that commitment at the time with the support of the then Premier and other ministers because it was the commitment that was required of us by the Liberal Party to support the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : You said at the time you had no intention of increasing prices. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not increased prices. There is a difference between the way I address issues and deal with the public and the way the Leader of the Opposition deals with them. I deal with the issues honestly, and with the public openly and honestly. There will come a time when people can make a judgement on us. We gave a commitment that there would be no increase in the standard tariff for ordinary household electricity until the end of the 2008-09 financial year, and there will not be. The situation we have today has emerged in part because of that price cap; the Liberal Party required it of us. It is in the Hansard . The prices have not gone up. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The prices have not gone up. We gave the commitment that they would not go up. Ours is the only jurisdiction in the nation where that has been the case for ordinary domestic consumers. Everywhere else in Australia, household electricity prices have gone up considerably. Last year in South Australia, for example, they went up in a single bound by 18 per cent. Real electricity prices in Western Australia have fallen over the past 12 years. In dollar terms they have not moved for 12 years except for an adjustment for the goods and services tax. I provided all that information and much more on Friday. Other factors have impacted on the price of electricity generation that are well known: the price of liquid fuels, the price of labour, the price of materials such as copper and the fact that Verve Energy, as part of Western Power, underinvested in its plant and equipment for years and years. It was not until the disaggregation that transparency occurred so that we could tell where the vast amounts of money going to the old aggregated model of Western Power were actually being spent. Today, Verve Energy will tell us that one of the biggest dynamics that is causing the increased cost of generation is the need to address the historic underinvestment in plant and equipment. They are catching up. So, there we go. Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Can the Leader of the Opposition tell the people of Western Australia that prices will not increase under his regime? Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : I will tell you what, if I were in your position we wouldn’t have run down Verve like your minister has, asleep at the wheel while it lost tens of millions of dollars. I can give you that guarantee. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : He cannot bring himself to be honest with the Western Australian people. Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Do you know how to read a balance sheet? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I hear that a lot from the member. Has he ever run a business? Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Yes. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, providing a service, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : What is the nature of the business that he has run? Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Tourism. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : That is his small business in Busselton? Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Employing people, generating a profit. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does the member think that running that small business in Busselton equates to running an economy the size of Western Australia? Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : I’d know when it was going broke. I know what $1 billion can buy. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : How does he think running that business in Busselton equates with running the state, the economy and the $18 billion budget of Western Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I rest my case. One of the biggest challenges facing people in political and business life is that of being honest. I was completely honest with people when I explained the situation last week. The challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to be honest and outline to the people of Western Australia what he would do then. Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t have done; we wouldn’t have lost $1 billion. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition supported the disaggregation. Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr T. Buswell : Yes, but we did not agree to the government losing $1 billion in the process, did we? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The opposition forced the price cap. The member for Kalgoorlie made it plain last week in this Parliament that the price was capped because the Liberal Party insisted upon it. The Liberal Party therefore restricted the revenue flow to Verve Energy. Which sage said this? I quote — The disaggregation of Western Power, with conditions, is something I support, and I am glad the Liberal Party has chosen to support that view. At the end of the day, I have a fundamental confidence in the delivery of the market mechanism — that is, supply and demand — to generate the most effective set of long-term social and economic conditions. I also believe that it is the most effective mechanism to use to address problems Western Australia currently faces in the electricity sector. Mr T. Buswell : Probably me. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Exactly.
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.