Parliament

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (15:59): I rise today to talk about one of the very important institutions in my part

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome) (15:28): My question is to the Minister for Mining and Energy. Can the minister update the house on the progress of the new or updat

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Can the minister inform the house how South Australia compares with other sta

Health is important, so health services is one of the absolute most important things. When you think about the highest priorities that government must provide for its people, you go immediately to health, to education, to roads and important infrastructure, to safety, to police emergency services, and that is certainly not the end of it. But I say without any hesitation that delivering health services is without any doubt right towards the very top of that list, perhaps at the top.

I rise to speak on this very important and very sensitive matter. As we all know, this is a conscience vote on something that each of us will dig deeply into our own hearts and into our own communities to address.

As a member of parliament who has had several bushfires in my electorate over the last 11 years I have been in this place, I share the anger—I think 'anger' is probably the right sort of word to use—that I understand the member for Waite has with regard to people who deliberately light fires and the harm and damage that come out of that. The intent with regard to bringing this bill forward is something that I certainly understand.

While the early works are underway, we are already seeing investment. We have a very significant list of projects investing in South Australia and they are all looking forward to the delivery of this interconnector.

I certainly rise to support this motion. We have had a very productive morning in parliament this morning in regard to getting work underway. It is not until that work is done and implemented and we actually see real change that we can be any more than satisfied with having started down that path, but we certainly have started down that path this morning and in a bipartisan way as well.

It is a pleasure for me to rise today to speak about the very recent sealing of the bottom approximately two kilometres of Yorkeys Crossing adjacent to the very important Davenport Aboriginal community on the north side of Port Augusta.

It is a pleasure for me to rise today on behalf of the people of the electorate of Stuart, which I represent, to discuss country roads.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Can the minister update the house on recent results from the Fraser Institu

Unfortunately, the bill came about because we had some dreadful bushfires at the start of 2020. As we all know—and I will not go into it all—2020 was a tough year in many different ways. We were in drought across most of the state at that stage, and we then had devastating bushfires on Kangaroo Island, in the Adelaide Hills, on Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula and some at Keilira down in the South-East as well as some other places.

The Aboriginal lands committee does very important work across our state. There are some members who have been on it for a very long time and others who have come and gone. I think that is a very positive thing because you get a tranche of experience that continues through but also some new and different ideas.

There is no member of this house who would not feel anywhere from disappointed through to sick to the stomach, let alone if they were connected to one of the people who had lost their lives, about what we are seeing on our roads. It is just tragic. Our government needs to act to try to keep young people, particularly young males, safe on the roads while riding motorbikes.

The combination of solar panels and household batteries is a tremendous way to create jobs.

The South Australian Virtual Power Plant (SA VPP) trial phases were designed to inform the business case for an expanded state-wide roll out of the program, as such the government imposed a minimum 5 per cent target for regional installations during the phase 2 trial.

Just this week, less than one year after opening the mine, OZ Minerals have committed to a significant expansion of the Carrapateena copper mine.

There are certainly still plenty of challenges and so, while we still do wrestle with COVID-19, there are people all over our state wrestling with lots of other challenges as well, and for some people those challenges are compounded. I am sure all members will be thinking of people who are in these sorts of difficulties, particularly over Christmas and into the new year.

Transcript from Estimates Committee regarding Port Pirie lead levels, NSW interconnector, and net-negative energy demand

I acknowledge the comments and the contribution from the shadow minister. This is a pretty straightforward bill. It is an amalgamation of a lot of small pieces, each one being fairly separate, so it is not trying to be anything more complicated than exactly what is on the paper in front of us.