Ms CLANCY (Elder) (11:32): I rise today in support of the National Energy Retail Law (Retailer of Last Resort) Amendment Bill 2025, which seeks to amend the National Energy Retail Law (South Australia) Act 2011 and the National Electricity (South Australia) Act 1996. I am proud to stand again to speak in support of further reform to our energy laws to protect consumers and ensure South Australians get the best bang for their buck every time they switch on the lights, boil the kettle or turn on the telly. While we cannot go back in time and stop those opposite from shamefully selling off ETSA and the operation of state-owned generators, we will continue to do what we can to regulate a now private market in the interests of South Australians, who at the end of the day just want clean energy for a fair price.

The bill before us today seeks to strengthen the retailer of last resort scheme to improve resilience in the system and manage financial risk and contagion. This reform seeks to improve the operation of the scheme overall and lower barriers to participation by retailers. It includes a range of benefits and improvements on the existing scheme, such as:

• allowing more time for allowed retailers of last resort to be appointed following a retailer of last resort event;

• allowing more time for a designated retailer of last resort to meet AEMO's credit support requirements;

• providing clarity and certainty over cost recovery;

• expanding the pool of potential retailers of last resort and providing more retailers for a particular retailer of last resort event;

• ensuring customers transferred to a retailer of last resort are no worse off than they would be under that retailer's standing offer; and

• providing greater flexibility to the regulator when developing and implementing retailer of last resort plans.

The bill before us today provides a safety net designed to protect South Australian customers if their energy retailer fails and ensures they continue to receive a constant supply of energy. These amendments to our national energy laws are sensible, in the best interests of the consumer and have been agreed to by energy ministers from the commonwealth and each state and territory to now be introduced in this place, with South Australia as the lead legislator.

What better place to introduce this reform, given our proud history of leading the nation in renewable energy and climate change mitigation? The Malinauskas Labor government is delivering an energy network that benefits South Australians specifically by improving renewable energy uptake and decarbonising our economy. Thanks to our state's embracing of rooftop solar, South Australia's energy system flipped the traditional supply-demand balance on its head.

In 2018, we built the South Australian VPP, Australia's largest virtual power plant. Today, our virtual power plant benefits more than 7,000 public housing tenants by providing reduced power prices and firming up the grid. Like the network of batteries, this virtual power plant has played a role in maintaining energy continuity for South Australia during a time when the Eastern States have seen major interruptions on the National Electricity Market.

In partnership with local government, AGL Energy and funding from ARENA, we are also rolling out community batteries right across our state, with another 16 to be installed to deliver direct benefits to more than 10,000 South Australian households. The member for Badcoe and I are incredibly proud that one of the two community batteries already installed is in our shared community of Edwardstown.

Collectively these community batteries build on the success of South Australia's virtual power plant by delivering cheaper electricity to more households while firming up the grid. Participating households have access to a retail electricity rate at a whopping 25 per cent less than the default market offer. On current figures a typical household benefiting from this scheme could save as much as $575 off their annual electricity bill.

Beyond this particular scheme, South Australians are continuing to embrace all the benefits of rooftop solar, which is now on around half of all dwellings. On top of this, we are working with the Albanese Labor government to provide energy bill relief in the form of a $300 rebate for all households on their electricity bills and thanks to our most recent state budget we have extended the scheme to the end of December taking the total rebate to $450.

The Malinauskas Labor government is also providing targeted relief payments to the most vulnerable consumers in South Australia. This year's state budget provided a cost-of-living concession payment of $262, alongside energy bill and other household concessions, to help eligible home owner/occupiers save up to $1,215 throughout this financial year.

South Australia is a world leader in energy transition. The leadership of Labor governments has seen our state achieve 75 per cent renewable wind and solar energy generation in our electricity mix. In 2017, South Australia built the world's biggest original battery, the Hornsdale Power Reserve, drawing the eyes of the world and proving that this technology—

The SPEAKER: Member for Elder, there is a point of order from the member for Morphett.

Mr PATTERSON: It is just as to consideration of relevance.

Ms CLANCY: I am five minutes in—you took 30 minutes to get to a point.

The SPEAKER: I will continue to listen to the member for Elder. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, member for Morphett.

Ms CLANCY: Today and every day, member for Morphett, I am proud to be part of a government that is not resting on its laurels and is doing everything it can to achieve net 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2027.

This is important for every South Australian, particularly those in my community who want to see renewable energy harnessed to its full potential and see real action on climate change. On this side of the house we recognise that climate change is real and that the generational and systemic release of carbon into the atmosphere by human endeavour is heating the planet to devastating effect.

Mr Patterson interjecting:

Ms CLANCY: I have three more paragraphs, mate. I am six minutes in.

The SPEAKER: If everyone can just continue as they were. Member for Morphett, if it is only three more paragraphs it is going to take longer with the constant backwards and forwards.

Ms CLANCY: Yes, I would be finished.

Mr Patterson: I only had three paragraphs—

The SPEAKER: I would like to put the whistle away and call 'play on' in this instance, if that is alright.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Elder, please stop with the responses. There are only three paragraphs to go, member for Morphett, but thank you for your point of order.

Ms CLANCY: Primary school students get it, yet the Liberal Party does not. Economies across the globe desperately need to decarbonise, and our government is leading the way. We are investing in infrastructure and developing the policy work to support our energy transition. Those opposite can ask ChatGPT for help or get on board. In closing—

Mr TEAGUE: Point of order: standing order 128. It has been raised a number of times by the minister responsible for the bill, in the course of this debate, and the Speaker has already admonished one of the contributors on this side, for the time taken to address the bill. They do not want to talk about hydrogen when we are talking about it; on the other hand, they want to have freewheeling capacity to just address anything that—

The SPEAKER: You can sit down now, deputy leader.

Mr TEAGUE: But it is a point of—

The SPEAKER: You can sit down, deputy leader. I have already said that there are three paragraphs to go. Let's get them out of the way. I am interested in having an efficient discussion around this bill and moving on to the next bill. Member for Elder, finish off. Thanks.

Ms CLANCY: In closing, I thank our Minister for Energy and Mining for his steadfast commitment to decarbonisation, and his team for their work in bringing this bill before us today. I commend the bill to the house.