Thursday, 10 September 2026

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:36): (1483) My question is to the minister for energy. Minister, yesterday you appeared bewildered when I asked about the MT PASA, the medium-term projected assessment of system adequacy. I hope you have had time to look up the MT PASA and realise a new notice was published on Tuesday 8 September. It says that:

AEMO declares Low Reserve Conditions … for the following region(s) and periods:

– July 2028 in Victoria

when forecast demand exceeds supply under some circumstances.

I therefore ask, Minister: is it not a fact that after 12 years of Labor your legacy is that in July 2028 the lights may go out?

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Please. Members on my right! I just remind the chamber that questions should not be provocative, but I will let the minister answer.

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for Environment, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (12:38): What I am bewildered by, Mr Davis, is the fact that you want to talk about electricity reliability in this place. Your own policies are so reckless –

David Davis: On a point of order, President, question time is a time for questions from non-government members to government ministers and an opportunity for ministers to answer questions, not to attack the opposition. The question was squarely about the MT PASA and the government’s position.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Mr Davis, life cannot be just a one-way street. I said that questions should not look to provoke a response in this way, but in saying that, I am going to put a couple of people on yellow cards. Mr Galea, you are on a yellow card. Mr Batchelor, you are on a yellow card.

A member: Throw out Mr McIntosh.

The PRESIDENT: I did not hear Mr McIntosh at all.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: The minister to respond, in silence.

Jaclyn SYMES: Mr Davis, I was not proposing to be provocative to you. Yes, you are entitled to ask me questions, and I answer them, but you have asked a question squarely about reliability and policies that will turn the lights out. Your reluctance to talk about your own energy policy is so telling because I reckon you know the consequences of your own policy. It is why you are not really out there talking about it. You are letting the local National Party members in that region of the VNI West do your policy work for you.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, it is clear that the minister is not entitled to answer by attacking the opposition. She is entitled to answer the question and the substance of the question, which is about the MT PASA and about July 2028 and about the fact that the lights will go out under this government’s 12-year policies.

The PRESIDENT: My view is the minister began her answer by addressing the preamble and she will get to the question.

Jaclyn SYMES: What is clear, Mr Davis, is that AEMO’s 10-year reliability forecast again shows that Victoria is prepared for the closure of Yallourn power station in 2028. We have implemented a clear plan in relation to the transition to cheaper, more reliable renewables with strong targets and with streamlined planning approvals to get critical renewable energy projects up and running and built in time. However, AEMO clearly states that to keep the lights on and to maintain the lowest power prices as well we must stick to our plan. That includes building critical transmission projects such as VNI West, as I referred to yesterday. What is at risk – there is a title. The title of Nexa Advisory’s report yesterday is Delay is Putting Victoria’s Energy Security at Risk: The Cost of Delaying Replacement Generation and Transmission Delivery.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, my question was very, very specific about the MT PASA. In fact I named the date of it – Tuesday this week. It was about a specific document. I actually quoted from the specific document.

The PRESIDENT: I think you are debating the point of order.

David Davis: No, President. On this occasion the minister is deviating off and needs to answer directly about the MT PASA. She will not mention those words.

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister has been relevant to the question. Ms Crozier, you are on a yellow card for flashing your props around.

Michael Galea interjected.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Galea, you are going to go and have an early shower for half an hour.

Michael Galea withdrew from chamber.

Tom McIntosh: Don’t use all the hot water.

The PRESIDENT: That is a good point, Tom, because there might be some people following him.

Jaclyn SYMES: Reliability modelling is the job of the experts at AEMO, which reports annually on electricity reliability through the ESOO, which we have talked about. The lights under our program will stay on, Mr Davis. Ignoring the independent market operator will result in blackouts, higher prices and investment going elsewhere. AEMO has come out clearly stating that we need to stick to the Labor government’s path. What they have said is that your plan does not stack up. The only risk to people’s electricity supply and power prices is those opposite.

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:43): I notice again the minister does not want to mention the MT PASA and just cannot utter those words. It is an AEMO document. You know, you can only feign ignorance for so long. Minister, you have now been briefed –

Sonja Terpstra: On a point of order, President, I gave Mr Davis the benefit of waiting a substantial amount of time for him to get to his point of order, which he did not – it was a point of debate. I would ask that the minister be allowed to continue her contribution in silence without further frivolous interjections by Mr Davis.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, I will call you back to your supplementary.

David DAVIS: As I said, you can only feign ignorance on this for so long. But let me now ask therefore: Minister, have you now been briefed on the MT PASA and the AEMO forecasts from the MT PASA? Don’t they conclude that there is a risk from July 2028? In particular, will you make those briefings available?

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, you started that question quite provocatively, so please do not reflect to me if your feelings are hurt if the minister responds in kind.

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for Environment, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (12:44): Mr Davis, I can repeat what I said to you in my answer to the substantive question. When it comes to the reliability of energy in this state, the only risk is those opposite.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, that went nowhere near answering the simple question about whether she had been briefed and whether she would make the briefings available.

The PRESIDENT: I will consider answers at the end of question time.