❓ Hon. Norman Moore questions the Minister for Energy regarding a significant gas price increase following the Apache Energy gas plant explosion, suggesting potential profiteering. The Minister deflects, citing confidentiality and lack of readily available information.
AnsweredQoN 630Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
APACHE ENERGY GAS PLANT EXPLOSION — INDEPENDENT MARKET OPERATOR
I refer the minister to announcements by Norton Gold Fields regarding its interim gas supply arrangements with Alinta that its gas price has increased from around $90 a megawatt hour to around $400 a megawatt hour. (1) Is the minister aware that such a massive gas price rise is regulated by the government’s Independent Market Operator? (2) Will the minister explain the rationale by which the market regulator would produce a price outcome that endorses profiteering from the current gas supply disruption? (3) As gas suppliers were selling gas profitably at much lower pre-disruption prices, will the minister ask the regulator to urgently review the methodology to take account of contracted gas prices as the base price for calculating current market prices and thus stop the excessive exploitation of current gas supply problems? Hon KIM CHANCE
I refer the minister to announcements by Norton Gold Fields regarding its interim gas supply arrangements with Alinta that its gas price has increased from around $90 a megawatt hour to around $400 a megawatt hour. (1) Is the minister aware that such a massive gas price rise is regulated by the government’s Independent Market Operator? (2) Will the minister explain the rationale by which the market regulator would produce a price outcome that endorses profiteering from the current gas supply disruption? (3) As gas suppliers were selling gas profitably at much lower pre-disruption prices, will the minister ask the regulator to urgently review the methodology to take account of contracted gas prices as the base price for calculating current market prices and thus stop the excessive exploitation of current gas supply problems? Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
(1) Is the minister aware that such a massive gas price rise is regulated by the government’s Independent Market Operator? (2) Will the minister explain the rationale by which the market regulator would produce a price outcome that endorses profiteering from the current gas supply disruption? (3) As gas suppliers were selling gas profitably at much lower pre-disruption prices, will the minister ask the regulator to urgently review the methodology to take account of contracted gas prices as the base price for calculating current market prices and thus stop the excessive exploitation of current gas supply problems? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
(2) Will the minister explain the rationale by which the market regulator would produce a price outcome that endorses profiteering from the current gas supply disruption? (3) As gas suppliers were selling gas profitably at much lower pre-disruption prices, will the minister ask the regulator to urgently review the methodology to take account of contracted gas prices as the base price for calculating current market prices and thus stop the excessive exploitation of current gas supply problems? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
(3) As gas suppliers were selling gas profitably at much lower pre-disruption prices, will the minister ask the regulator to urgently review the methodology to take account of contracted gas prices as the base price for calculating current market prices and thus stop the excessive exploitation of current gas supply problems? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
(1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
(1) Is the minister aware that such a massive gas price rise is regulated by the government’s Independent Market Operator? (2) Will the minister explain the rationale by which the market regulator would produce a price outcome that endorses profiteering from the current gas supply disruption? (3) As gas suppliers were selling gas profitably at much lower pre-disruption prices, will the minister ask the regulator to urgently review the methodology to take account of contracted gas prices as the base price for calculating current market prices and thus stop the excessive exploitation of current gas supply problems? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
(2) Will the minister explain the rationale by which the market regulator would produce a price outcome that endorses profiteering from the current gas supply disruption? (3) As gas suppliers were selling gas profitably at much lower pre-disruption prices, will the minister ask the regulator to urgently review the methodology to take account of contracted gas prices as the base price for calculating current market prices and thus stop the excessive exploitation of current gas supply problems? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
(3) As gas suppliers were selling gas profitably at much lower pre-disruption prices, will the minister ask the regulator to urgently review the methodology to take account of contracted gas prices as the base price for calculating current market prices and thus stop the excessive exploitation of current gas supply problems? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for providing some notice of this question. (1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
(1)-(3) Due to the confidential nature of some of the information requested, I may be unable to provide the honourable member with the answers he requires. Additionally, this information is not readily available and I therefore ask the honourable member to place this question on notice. Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
Several members interjected. Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
Hon Kim Chance : If it is confidential, it is confidential. Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
Hon Norman Moore : It is not confidential at all; the government regulator has done it.
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.