❓ Mr. Barnett questions the decision to import oil for power generation despite WA's natural gas and coal reserves. Mr. Ripper defends the decision as necessary for security of supply, blaming Mr. Barnett's previous privatization policies for the gas pipeline's limitations.
AnsweredQoN 413Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I have a supplementary question. Why are we now, in a State as rich as WA is in natural gas and coal, going back to the 1970s policy of importing oil for power generation on the south west grid? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
I knew the Leader of the Opposition would not be able to resist having a dig at the policies of the Court family. However, the overriding objective in the Government’s approach is to preserve security of electricity supply. It is demonstrable that we cannot rely on getting enough gas out of that pipeline at peak times to meet the needs of the community. Mr C.J. Barnett: Why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I knew the Leader of the Opposition would not be able to resist having a dig at the policies of the Court family. However, the overriding objective in the Government’s approach is to preserve security of electricity supply. It is demonstrable that we cannot rely on getting enough gas out of that pipeline at peak times to meet the needs of the community. Mr C.J. Barnett: Why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
I knew the Leader of the Opposition would not be able to resist having a dig at the policies of the Court family. However, the overriding objective in the Government’s approach is to preserve security of electricity supply. It is demonstrable that we cannot rely on getting enough gas out of that pipeline at peak times to meet the needs of the community. Mr C.J. Barnett: Why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
Mr C.J. Barnett: Why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I knew the Leader of the Opposition would not be able to resist having a dig at the policies of the Court family. However, the overriding objective in the Government’s approach is to preserve security of electricity supply. It is demonstrable that we cannot rely on getting enough gas out of that pipeline at peak times to meet the needs of the community. Mr C.J. Barnett: Why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
I knew the Leader of the Opposition would not be able to resist having a dig at the policies of the Court family. However, the overriding objective in the Government’s approach is to preserve security of electricity supply. It is demonstrable that we cannot rely on getting enough gas out of that pipeline at peak times to meet the needs of the community. Mr C.J. Barnett: Why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
Mr C.J. Barnett: Why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
Mr E.S. RIPPER: When the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible, he sold it to people who do not have the financial capacity to expand it. He put a major piece of our infrastructure into the hands of people who went broke and who cannot expand it to meet the needs of the community. He can pontificate, posture and preen all he likes, but the overriding objective is security of supply, and I make no apology for putting the public interest first when it comes to security of supply.
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