Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to address the consumer protection measures laid out by the government. At the outset, I want to acknowledge that much of what is contained in this agenda is, frankly, the right thing to do. Whether it's banning unfair trading practices, ending the cynical trap of dodgy subscriptions or finally cracking down on the sneaky practice of shrinkflation, these are commonsense wins. Common sense is not something you typically associate with Labor, the Greens and the teals. However, it is one thing to tinker with the fine print in a comfortable Canberra office; it is quite another to provide regional customers with anything like the same level of protections as those in the cities. While the government pats itself on the back for protecting the suburban shopper, it is presiding over a systematic failure of consumer protections for regional Australians who are paying for services they simply do not receive.

Let's talk about telecommunications. Labor talk about 'strengthening' consumer guarantees, yet they have overseen the most botched consumer transition in our history: the 3G shutdown. The minister promised equivalent coverage. I invite the minister to come to Weetulta or come to Tarcowie and tell them that the silence on their phones is equivalent. The 4G rollout wasn't finished before the 3G plug was pulled. Families are forking out thousands for Starlink or expensive boosters just to get the basic signal they used to have for free. Where is the consumer protection for them? In Tarcowie this isn't just an inconvenience; it's a threat to life. In 2004, three residents died while alone. In those instances, limited reception was a major concern for emergency response. This doesn't sound like consumer protection. If a supermarket drip-feeds a $2 fee or Netflix increases their cost, this government pounces. But, when a telco takes money from a farmer and leaves them unable to make calls to an ambulance, the government looks the other way and has nothing to say.

This brings me to the second half of this crisis: the total failure of our regional power grid. While the state and federal governments obsess over a reckless push towards net zero, the basics of grid stability in South Australia have been left to rot. In the Yorke Peninsula and the mid-north, we aren't just worried about unfair trading practices; we are worried about the lights staying on.

Early this year, the wholesale electricity price in SA spiked to over $20,000 per megawatt hour. That is the highest spot price ever recorded. Last week I was with Senator Kerrynne Liddle at the SIMEC mining operations near Whyalla. This is where the hematite and magnetite is coming from to feed the steelworks. At full noise, this mine consumes 50 megawatt hours. At over $20,000 per hour, that is a million dollars an hour, removing any chance they have of making any money that month. So SIMEC employs engineers to predict the weather, hence they shut down the operations when there is no wind and no solar in the grid. That is the reality of a wind-and-solar-only grid. Intermittent renewables cannot be compared with base-load energy supply.

My constituents are paying premium prices for a Third World service. We are seeing constant outages caused by insulator pollution—dust and salt build-up on the lines—because of a lack of maintenance.

Last month I was in Minlaton to hear concerns of Yorke Peninsula locals. I can tell you the emotions were high. People are fed up. They are tired of paying for something that keeps on failing them. While some of these are state and supplier issues, the federal government needs to look at strengthening the consumer protections for power outages. Think of Lisa Martin, who runs the Minlaton Bakery—she lost $5,000 in a single day not just in trade but because of dumped stock—or Terri Thiel in Edithburgh, who lost her home to a power network fault fire in 2019 and now has to watch the lights flicker again.

These small businesses are customers too. They pay their bills. They suffer the loss of food, loss of stock and the threat of fire from flashovers. The SA Power Networks taskforce says it may take several years to fix these hotspots. I ask the minister: If Harvey Norman sold a consumer a fridge that only worked half the time and spoilt their food, would you protect them? Would they get a refund? While this isn't—well, that'll do, Deputy Speaker. I'm not going to get the next sentence in. Thanks.

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