How Jay Weatherill and Josh Frydenberg’s firey press conference went down

WHEN the media received an alert from AGL yesterday to attend a renewable energy announcement in Adelaide’s west today, Premier Jay Weatherill’s name was not on the list of speakers.

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• TRANSCRIPT: Read their full comments here
• OPINION: Weatherill came out on top
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WHEN the media received an alert from AGL yesterday to attend a renewable energy announcement in a quiet cul-de-sac in Adelaide’s west today, Premier Jay Weatherill’s name was not on the list of speakers.

The event, organised by the energy giant, was to launch the rollout of solar-powered batteries across South Australia to create a $20 million virtual power plant of 1000 interconnected homes able to discharge their energy back into the grid during high demand.

AGL is funding $15 million towards the project with the Federal Government chipping in $5 million.

Before the presser ... Premier Jay Weatherill, Federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg, SA energy minister Tom Koutsantonis and AGL customer Geoff Perkins. Picture: Mike Burton

At 6.50am this morning AGL reissued the alert with Mr Weatherill’s name added to the list alongside his Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis, Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, AGL chief executive Andy Vesey and Australian Energy Renewable Agency executive Ian Kay.

Mr Weatherill’s office said that it had made AGL aware last Friday of his desire to attend.

By 9.30am Mr Weatherill, Mr Koutsantonis and Mr Frydenberg — surrounded by media advisers, executives and media crews — had assembled in the garage of West Beach resident and AGL customer, Geoff Perkins.

Mr Perkins, 63, the former director of IT at Walford College, was the first to install one of the batteries in house and is among 60 across Adelaide enjoying lower power bills.

It was a good news story for AGL and the federal government who are creating what would be the largest power plant of its type in the world.

Upon arrival Mr Freydenberg, who was running late for the event, greeted Mr Weatherill and quipped it was good to see the premier wearing a “liberal blue tie.”

Mr Freydenberg and Mr Koutsantonis warmly embraced like long-lost friends who could see beyond their political ideologies.

And the trio posed up smiling and happy for the cameras as Mr Vesey talked about the merits of the virtual power plant.

And during ... things have gone sour. Picture: Mike Burton

But by 10.30am the narrative had changed and Mr Perkin’s house had become the location for Mr Weatherill’s extraordinary attack on Mr Frydenberg over his government’s “abuse” and “trash talking” SA’s leadership on renewables.

Mr Frydenberg later accused Mr Weatherill of gatecrashing the event.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know Jay was going to be here,” he told the media, although it has been reported that AGL did advise Mr Freydenberg’s office last night of Mr Weatherill’s attendance.

As Mr Weatherill left the press event he said he had no knowledge that Mr Frydenberg would be in attendance, to which Mr Frydenberg expressed disbelief.

“Certainly he sought to make a point and he’s done it in an unedifying and unfortunate way,” he said.