❓ Mr. Nalder questions the Premier about the government's plan to reduce electricity costs, given the Energy Minister's perceived lack of a plan. The Premier deflects, highlighting the opposition's delayed questioning and defending recent electricity changes.
AnsweredQoN 568Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTRICITY
PRICES
568. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
Given the Minister for Energy's
inability to articulate an energy plan —
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : Why don't you ask the Minister for Energy?
The
SPEAKER : Treasurer!
Mr
D.C. NALDER : I will repeat. Given the Minister for Energy's
inability to articulate an energy plan for Western Australia, will the Premier
outline his government's plan to reduce costs and increase competition
in the electricity sector or will pensioners and the vulnerable be forced to
pay even higher electricity prices, because he is asleep at the wheel?
PRICES
568. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
Given the Minister for Energy's
inability to articulate an energy plan —
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : Why don't you ask the Minister for Energy?
The
SPEAKER : Treasurer!
Mr
D.C. NALDER : I will repeat. Given the Minister for Energy's
inability to articulate an energy plan for Western Australia, will the Premier
outline his government's plan to reduce costs and increase competition
in the electricity sector or will pensioners and the vulnerable be forced to
pay even higher electricity prices, because he is asleep at the wheel?
AnswerView source ↗
The member for Bateman knows full
well that the Minister for Energy is sitting two up from me, and if he would
like to ask the Minister for Energy that specific question, he is more than
welcome to. But the truth of the matter is that the changes that were made in
June this year were necessary in order to deal with the situation with which we
were confronted. You might also note, Mr Speaker, that it is now October and
the opposition is finally asking us questions about things that happened in
June. Does that not say something about the opposition? It is asking in October
about things that happened in June.
Mr
D.C. Nalder interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bateman!
Mr
M. McGOWAN : If there has ever been a starker political lesson of the
uselessness of the current opposition in Western Australia, this is it. Has
there ever been a more useless opposition in this state than this opposition?
It is exemplified by the member for Bateman, who might have good pedigree but
he does not have many brains. In June we announced the changes that were being
put in place that have a fixed-fee component to ensure that everyone
contributes to the provision of electricity to households. That had been
grappled with by the former government for eight years. We know that it wanted
to introduce it.
Dr
M.D. Nahan : We didn't want to do it that much—a 30 per cent
increase for pensioners.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : You said it!
Dr
M.D. Nahan : You don't care.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : The Leader of the Opposition said that he wanted to introduce
it.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
M. McGOWAN : We have finally introduced it, which puts in place a more
rational distribution of the costs of providing electricity to households and
businesses across Western Australia. It is one of those initiatives that had to
happen. It reflects what has occurred in other states. Opposition members may
not like it now, but we know that when they were in government, it was exactly
what they wanted to do but they did not have the courage.
The SPEAKER : Before the supplementary, I call the member for Carine to order for
the first time. It was not just then. I did not want to stop the debate, but I will
do that if people interject; I will call them at the end of the question.
well that the Minister for Energy is sitting two up from me, and if he would
like to ask the Minister for Energy that specific question, he is more than
welcome to. But the truth of the matter is that the changes that were made in
June this year were necessary in order to deal with the situation with which we
were confronted. You might also note, Mr Speaker, that it is now October and
the opposition is finally asking us questions about things that happened in
June. Does that not say something about the opposition? It is asking in October
about things that happened in June.
Mr
D.C. Nalder interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bateman!
Mr
M. McGOWAN : If there has ever been a starker political lesson of the
uselessness of the current opposition in Western Australia, this is it. Has
there ever been a more useless opposition in this state than this opposition?
It is exemplified by the member for Bateman, who might have good pedigree but
he does not have many brains. In June we announced the changes that were being
put in place that have a fixed-fee component to ensure that everyone
contributes to the provision of electricity to households. That had been
grappled with by the former government for eight years. We know that it wanted
to introduce it.
Dr
M.D. Nahan : We didn't want to do it that much—a 30 per cent
increase for pensioners.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : You said it!
Dr
M.D. Nahan : You don't care.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : The Leader of the Opposition said that he wanted to introduce
it.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
M. McGOWAN : We have finally introduced it, which puts in place a more
rational distribution of the costs of providing electricity to households and
businesses across Western Australia. It is one of those initiatives that had to
happen. It reflects what has occurred in other states. Opposition members may
not like it now, but we know that when they were in government, it was exactly
what they wanted to do but they did not have the courage.
The SPEAKER : Before the supplementary, I call the member for Carine to order for
the first time. It was not just then. I did not want to stop the debate, but I will
do that if people interject; I will call them at the end of the question.
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