Ms MANISON - 2016-05-25
Despite promising to cut the cost of living your government raised power prices by 30%. You have bungled the separation of the Power and Water Corporation and we now have the extraordinary situation in the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report where the Auditor-General was unable to form an opinion on the financial statements for the Power and Water Corporation.
Today the Leader of the Opposition gave a guarantee that a Labor government would keep Power and Water Corporation, Territory Generation and Jacana Energy in public hands. Will you rule out selling these strategic public assets if elected for a second term? Given your record on selling the Port and TIO, why would anyone believe anything you say on this issue?
ANSWER
I hope the shadow minister for Essential Services understands that is for the shareholding minister to answer. I pass it to the shareholding minister.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, some months I also gave some credit to the member for Wanguri, saying it seemed she was getting her head around some of the Power and Water issues and utility market issues. Then, lo and behold, she throws out a question like that.
Member for Wanguri, you know as well as I do that no government can sell the Power and Water Corporation because there are no accounts at the moment. We know the asset management system does not work and the financial management system does not work. We have discovered all these things since the corporation was structurally separated. We knew it was a basket case when we came to government, but structural separation has really opened the can of worms. It is a good thing, because we are now getting to the bottom of the problems in the Power and Water Corporation and setting up a much more transparent and accountable utilities marketplace in the Northern Territory where we can introduce competition and put further downward pressure on electricity prices.
I reiterate that if you are genuinely interested in putting downward pressure on electricity prices you should run a mile from the commitments the Leader of the Opposition gave this morning. He just announced another $3bn worth of costs for the Territory government this morning, through the Power and Water Corporation, and has promised, through his own admissions, to triple electricity costs in the Territory. That is shameful and something that …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance. Will the minister rule out selling the Power and Water Corporation, Territory Generation or Jacana Energy?
Mr TOLLNER: Let me get this straight. When the Opposition Leader decommissions half the generation facilities in the Northern Territory he will not sell them? He will not even try to recoup some money to fund his costly plan to put renewable energy all over the Northern Territory? Goodness gracious me, the costs continue to escalate. Do you not care about the prices Territorians will pay? Are the Green preferences that important?
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110. There are 15 seconds left, minister. Will you rule out selling Power and Water, Territory Generation or Jacana Energy?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Member for Wanguri, please sit down.
Mr TOLLNER: Are Green preferences that important that you are prepared to sacrifice low electricity costs for all Territorians in order to get those preferences?
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you are out of time
Today the Leader of the Opposition gave a guarantee that a Labor government would keep Power and Water Corporation, Territory Generation and Jacana Energy in public hands. Will you rule out selling these strategic public assets if elected for a second term? Given your record on selling the Port and TIO, why would anyone believe anything you say on this issue?
ANSWER
I hope the shadow minister for Essential Services understands that is for the shareholding minister to answer. I pass it to the shareholding minister.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, some months I also gave some credit to the member for Wanguri, saying it seemed she was getting her head around some of the Power and Water issues and utility market issues. Then, lo and behold, she throws out a question like that.
Member for Wanguri, you know as well as I do that no government can sell the Power and Water Corporation because there are no accounts at the moment. We know the asset management system does not work and the financial management system does not work. We have discovered all these things since the corporation was structurally separated. We knew it was a basket case when we came to government, but structural separation has really opened the can of worms. It is a good thing, because we are now getting to the bottom of the problems in the Power and Water Corporation and setting up a much more transparent and accountable utilities marketplace in the Northern Territory where we can introduce competition and put further downward pressure on electricity prices.
I reiterate that if you are genuinely interested in putting downward pressure on electricity prices you should run a mile from the commitments the Leader of the Opposition gave this morning. He just announced another $3bn worth of costs for the Territory government this morning, through the Power and Water Corporation, and has promised, through his own admissions, to triple electricity costs in the Territory. That is shameful and something that …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance. Will the minister rule out selling the Power and Water Corporation, Territory Generation or Jacana Energy?
Mr TOLLNER: Let me get this straight. When the Opposition Leader decommissions half the generation facilities in the Northern Territory he will not sell them? He will not even try to recoup some money to fund his costly plan to put renewable energy all over the Northern Territory? Goodness gracious me, the costs continue to escalate. Do you not care about the prices Territorians will pay? Are the Green preferences that important?
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110. There are 15 seconds left, minister. Will you rule out selling Power and Water, Territory Generation or Jacana Energy?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Member for Wanguri, please sit down.
Mr TOLLNER: Are Green preferences that important that you are prepared to sacrifice low electricity costs for all Territorians in order to get those preferences?
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you are out of time
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016