In response to a question in Parliament today regarding our state’s electricity crisis Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis answered: ‘what we have here is fake news’.

The Treasurer has in turn blamed privatisation, the retailers, the generators, the market operators, the weather, the Victorian and Federal Governments for South Australia’s electricity crisis.

“Now he blames fake news,” said Shadow Minister for Energy and Mining Dan van Holst Pellekaan.

“There’s nothing fake about the impact of the blackouts and high prices plaguing South Australian households and businesses.

“There’s nothing fake about the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been sucked out of the South Australian economy because of the sharp increase in electricity prices and loss production due to blackouts.

“What is fake is the Weatherill Government’s ever changing excuses for why South Australia has the most expensive and least reliable electricity in country.

“When the State was plunged into a total blackout last year Jay Weatherill claimed the system was operating as it was designed to.

“When the Liberals first alerted South Australians that electricity prices were going to shoot up as a result of the closure of the Northern Power Station the Government accused us of peddling nonsense.

“Now the Weatherill Government wants to close down Australia’s coal powered generation.

“There’s nothing fake about the news that it will drive up the price of electricity for every South Australian household and business.

“After 15 years in power the Weatherill Government must stop blaming everyone and everything and start taking responsibility for their mess.”