The Opposition is demanding the Malinauskas Labor Government come clean on the status of its floundering hydrogen project and ballooning costs of its so-called Office of Hydrogen.
This follows a shocking revelation in a Parliamentary Committee hearing that the Government’s Steel Taskforce, which was supposedly tasked with future-proofing South Australia’s steel industry, does not even keep minutes of its secretive meetings.
Adding to the concern, 45 critical questions from a September 2024 Budget and Finance meeting remain unanswered, deepening concerns about transparency and accountability in the Office of Hydrogen.
“Yet again, we see the Malinauskas Government ducking scrutiny,” said Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia.
“Regardless of what happens at Whyalla, South Australians deserve answers. Key decisions must be documented and made public. Transparency is not optional, it is essential.”
With just over a year until the next State Election, Peter Malinauskas’ much-hyped Hydrogen Jobs Plan is teetering on the brink of collapse. Instead of taking responsibility, Labor is scrambling to shift blame onto the unrelated struggles of the Whyalla Steelworks.
“Let’s be clear, Labor’s hydrogen promise was never tied to GFG Alliance, and they assured voters these projects would be up and running by the end of 2025,” Mr Tarzia said.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has undertaken several international trips specifically focused on promoting his hydrogen plans including a 2022 trip to Japan and South Korea, as well as the 2023 World Hydrogen Summit in the Netherlands, and trips to Germany and the USA.
“While South Australians struggle with soaring cost-of-living pressures, the Premier has wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars on overseas trips spruiking a costly hydrogen dream that now risks becoming a reputational disaster for South Australia.”
“Not only is this project failing to deliver a stated 8% cut in electricity prices, but South Australians are now footing the bill for a bloated Office of Hydrogen, which has exploded to 55 bureaucrats, costing taxpayers $23 million a year” Mr Tarzia said.
“Labor took just one energy policy to the last election. Now, as we approach the promised deadline for completion, that single promise is crumbling just like their pledge to fix ramping.”
“This is a government that overpromise and underdeliver at every turn. South Australians deserve better.” Mr Tarzia concluded.
