Clare Valley Water Supply

A question to the Minister for Water and the River Murray, the Hon IK Hunter MLC, regarding the Clare Valley water supply.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK  ( 14:34  ): I have a supplementary question. Can the minister explain why it costs three times as much for on-peak water as off-peak water?
 
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER  (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation)  ( 14:34  ): The honourable member again shows her ignorance in these issues.
 
The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Just answer the question.
 
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I will if the Hon. Mr Ridgway would cease interjecting. One must understand that there are competing demands on the water infrastructure, dependent on various issues, such as the time of year, the season and cost of electricity, of course, because there are peak prices for electricity as well, and pumping water is a primary cost of that.

If the honourable member would like to find out about these issues, I can supply her with a briefing document about the cost of water, its supply and why the prices fluctuate in terms of seasonality and also the pricing effect of electricity.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK  ( 14:36  ): I have a further supplementary question. Would the minister like to read the following headline, ABC News, dated 21 February 2014? Of course, you wouldn't, minister, because it says, 'SA election: Liberals say no plan to privatise water.' Will you desist from misleading the house?
 
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER  (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation)  ( 14:36  ): This is the fig leaf they hid behind. The member for Norwood (now Dunstan), when he was pressed on radio, 'Will you privatise SA Water,' he said, 'Er, no.' 'Well, what about the assets?' and there was stunned silence because we know what their plan was: tell the electorate that we won't privatise SA Water—
 
The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Can't you read?
 
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —but in their back pocket we all know that there was a plan: 'We'll flog off the assets, and we'll just leave SA Water as a contracting company in the hands of the taxpayer.'
 
The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Can't you read?
 
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: It's not a problem with my not being able to read; it is a problem of their not being able to tell the truth to the electorate.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Maher.

Members interjecting: 

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Maher has the floor.