SAFETY CONCERNS  - GREENIES OCCUPY MUNMORAH POWER STATION

Friday 16^th November 2007

Rev Fred Nile, Leader of the Christian Democratic Party, has raised concern about the impact on safety of Green-environmental groups illegally occupying the Munmorah power station during question time in Parliament yesterday.

Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE: I ask the Treasurer, and Minister for the Hunter a question without notice. Does the current illegal occupation at the Munmorah power station endanger the staff and the supply of power in New South Wales? Have those illegal Green occupiers been charged with trespass?

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile asked a very good question.

Dr John Kaye: Point of order. The question contains an incorrect statement or an untruth. The Greens are not occupying that power station; Greenpeace is occupying it. The member's question contains an argument.

The Hon. Greg Pearce: Point of order—

The PRESIDENT: Order! Is the member speaking to the point of order?

The Hon. Greg Pearce: No, it is a different point of order, and it relates to the question. Standing orders allow members to ask Ministers questions that are relevant to their responsibilities. Earlier in question time Dr John Kaye asked an almost identical question of the Leader of the Government, who said that he would answer the question in the absence of the Minister for Energy. The Leader of Government indicated he would answer any questions that were directed today to the Minister for Energy. Therefore, the question ought to be ruled out of order, or it should be directed to the Leader of the Government.

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: To the point of order: Clearly, the question is in order. I am the shareholding Minister for the entity that is illegally occupied by the Greens, or by Greenpeace. Clearly, as I am the responsible Minister I should answer the question. As the portfolio Minister is not present today the Leader of the Government said he would answer any questions that were asked of the portfolio Minister.

The PRESIDENT: Order! On the point of order taken by the Hon. Dr John Kaye, clearly impossible for the Chair to determine the veracity of facts presented by members in questions. The standing orders require simply that any facts presented should be limited to those that will make the question understandable. Any member who makes an assertion thereby attests to the veracity of that assertion.

On the point of order taken by the Hon. Greg Pearce, it is correct that the Leader of the Government can answer any question. However, it is in order for any Minister to answer any question that is directed to him or to her. The Treasurer may answer the question if he so wishes.

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: I thank Dr John Kaye for his question. I do not understand why the Opposition sought to have the question ruled out of order. The fact of the matter is that the Treasurer in this State is a shareholding Minister for all our electricity entities and clearly has some responsibility in the management of the assets. Let me say, in terms of the question itself—

The Hon. Duncan Gay: So we can now ask the Treasurer questions on this, can we? He has never admitted this before.

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: The Deputy Leader of the Opposition can ask me as many questions as he likes. In fact, I welcome him asking me questions. Turning to the issue: this morning, at about 5 a.m., a group of protesters, greens—I do not know whether they were members of the Greens or from Greenpeace, but certainly they were a green group—entered premises at Munmorah Power Station via a coal-conveying area, triggering a security response. Police were called. Delta has advised that a slogan was painted on the roof of some of the facilities.

The Hon. Greg Pearce: We love Costa?

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: No. The slogan was "coal kills". At the same time Greenpeace—and I do not know whether Greenpeace is associated with this green group—issued a media statement that the incident was to protest against John Howard's and Kevin Rudd's abysmal climate change policies and that the group was about stopping spiralling greenhouse emissions. The coal operations were not affected by the incident and non-essential personnel were evacuated from the scene. Concerns were raised about the safety of the workforce and of the facility, given that this was an unauthorised excursion into a power station by people who clearly are not qualified to be on the premises. The police were called and they took control of the situation and removed the protesters. The police are considering what action to take. I am quite astounded that this particular group is supported by Greenpeace and, I assume, by the Greens—given the tone of their earlier question. New South Wales power stations are critical infrastructure, and retrofitting at this facility leads the nation in dealing with greenhouse emissions. I am surprised that the Greens do not know this.

Dr John Kaye: Munmorah? It is one of the dirtiest stations in the country.

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: Do not believe what you read in the Sydney Morning Herald. Unfortunately Andrew Clennell is no longer in the press gallery. Today's Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Greens, or whoever provided the information, take a crude measure of the output per megawatt hour—

The Hon. Greg Pearce: Like all your mates and their WorkChoices reports.

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: Let me finish the question. [Time expired.]

Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE: I ask a supplementary question. Can the Minister elucidate his answer to my question?

Dr John Kaye: Point of order. That is not a supplementary question. He is just asking for more answer.

The PRESIDENT: Order! If the Treasurer wishes to elucidate, he may; otherwise I will give the call to another member.

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: That point of order indicates why I call him Dr Nick! The article in the Sydney Morning Herald is a disgrace. It seeks, very crudely, to claim that the largest power stations are the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, the appropriate measure to determine the level of emissions is per megawatt hour of electricity. If those calculations were done, they would show the least efficient plants are located outside New South Wales—in Victoria and Queensland. Victorian power stations have always been inefficient because they use dirty brown coal, and the Queenslanders have not retrofitted their power stations.

Dr John Kaye: And New South Wales has retrofitted its power stations?

The Hon. MICHAEL COSTA: Yes it has. It is not a dorothy dixer. All our power stations have been retrofitted. Bayswater does not produce the CO2 tonnage that was claimed in the article. Bayswater produces 4.5 million tonnes and Eraring produces 3.5 million tonnes—less than that claimed in the article. The article is full of misinformation. Is it any wonder that when naive people associated with green groups are fed misinformation by allegedly reputable researchers they find themselves acting irrationally and trying to occupy power stations! Given the importance of electricity to the modern economy in a range of areas, from traffic management systems to hospitals, I find it extraordinary that a claim is made that coal kills. If we were to turn off all our power stations, clearly affect more lives would be affected than would be the case if we were to leave them running. It is an absurd proposition from the Greens.