Electricity Trust of South Australia (GA185)

The Electricity Trust of South Australia came into being on 1 September 1946 pursuant to proclamation of the Electricity Trust of South Australia Act, No. 3 of 1946 (1). By virtue of Part III of this Act, the assets of the Adelaide Electric Supply Company Ltd. were vested in the Trust (2). As a consequence of this takeover, power generation in South Australia, became a State owned industry, a development perceived by the Playford Government as essential to its industrialisation objectives. Shareholders in the Adelaide Electric Supply Company Ltd were paid the market value of their shares as at 1 August 1945, either in cash or in Electricity Trust debentures redeemable in five or ten years (3).

The Trust was empowered to carry out the former functions of the Adelaide Electric Supply Company, as defined by its governing acts of 1897 and 1931 (4). In addition it was empowered to do all that was necessary to extend the supply of electricity to suburban and country consumers, construct power stations and facilities, investigate fuel sources and review pricing structures for electricity supply (5).

Upon establishment of the Trust, the South Australian Electricity Commission ceased to exist (6). The Commission had been established to advise the Government on power generation in 1943. In February 1948, the Trust acquired responsibility for the working of Leigh Creek coalfield which was intended to decrease South Australian reliance on premium quality imported coal from New South Wales (7). Mining of Leigh Creek coal had formerly been the responsibility of the Engineering and Water Supply Department.

In 1964, the organisational structure of the Trust was regionalised (8). The following regional headquarters were subsequently established: Port Augusta (Upper North Region), Port Lincoln (Port Lincoln Region), Mt. Gambier (South East Region), Clare (Mid North Region), Murray Bridge (Lower Murray Region) and Barmera (Upper Murray Region) (9).

ETSA Corporation was established on the 1st of July 1995, under the Electricity Corporations Act 1994 to allow the business of the Electricity Trust of South Australia to continue under the Public Corporation Act 1993.

See also GRG 13.

References:

1) Report of the Electricity Trust of South Australia, 'Parliamentary Papers', Adelaide, the Government Printer, no. 64 of 1947, p. 3.
2) 'Acts of Parliament of South Australia', Adelaide, the Government Printer, 1947, pp. 12-15.
3) Report of the Electricity Trust of South Australia, op. cit., p. 3.
4) Electricity Trust of South Australia Act, no. 3 of 1946, p. 16.
5) ibid, pp. 16-17.
6) ibid, p. 16
7) Report of the Auditor General, 1948-49, 'Parliamentary Papers', no. 4, p. 145.
8) Annual Report of the Electricity Trust of South Australia, 1964-65, 'Parliamentary Paper', no. 64, p. 4.
9) ibid.