SA election: Result vindicates our energy reforms, says Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull says defeat of ‘ferocious’ energy opponent Jay Weatherill is an endorsement of his National Energy Guarantee.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Malcolm Turnbull has interpreted the election of a Liberal government in South Australia as a vindication of his proposed energy reforms and evidence voters support “affordable and reliable” power.

Under Jay Weatherill, the South Australian government emerged as the main opponent of the Turnbull government’s proposed National Energy Guarantee aimed at ensuring the system provides stable and affordable power to consumers.

The NEG puts an obligation on electricity retailers to buy power at a set level of emissions intensity each year to meet a 2030 reduction target while also meeting a percentage of demand from reliable power generation.

Mr Turnbull today welcomed the election of the Liberal government of Steven Marshall, indicating it would improve the prospects of the NEG being approved by the states at the Council of Australian Governments.

“Jay Weatherill said this was a referendum on energy policy and, you know, that he was a very ferocious opponent as Josh Frydenberg found out, ferocious opponent of our National Energy Guarantee, he said it was a referendum, well the people have spoken,” Mr Turnbull said.

“And they have spoken in favour of our policies which support affordable and reliable energy, which will ensure we can meet our Paris commitments and at the same time ensure that we can keep the lights on and indeed afford to keep the lights on.”

SA's Liberal Premier-elect Steven Marshall.

Mr Turnbull said he was “always very confident that the National Energy Guarantee would be approved by COAG” but noted that South Australia had “shown that it was opposed to it.”

“Now you have a South Australian Premier who, like us, is committed to ensuring that we have affordable and reliable energy, that we meet out emissions reduction obligations, that we can keep the lights on, and afford to keep them on,” he said.

South Australia had objected to further the design work on the NEG being carried out by the Energy Security Board chaired by Dr Kerry Schott unless it was accompanied by further work on a Clean Energy Target and an Emissions Intensity Scheme.

Mr Weatherill will step down as Labor leader following the party’s election defeat overnight.

He also ruled out a switch to federal politics.

. @JayWeatherill: We ran a campaign that we are very proud of, I would not have changed a thing but it was clearly not enough to form government.

I respect the judgement of the South Australian people.

MORE: https://t.co/XO01BmiTUO #weekendlive pic.twitter.com/9hlzC3eNXi

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) March 18, 2018

“The Labor Party has plenty of fantastic choices as leader; I won’t be one of them,” he told reporters on Sunday.

Mr Weatherill would not put a timeline on the leadership change, but said it would be “sooner rather than later” once the final results of the election are known.

But he said he would remain in the state parliament on the back bench and had no desire to move to Canberra.

“Absolutely not. I can say that with great passion. I have zero ambitions to go into federal parliament.”