ARKAROOLA WILDERNESS SANCTUARY

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart) (15:03): My question is to the Premier. What is the government's position on mining in Arkaroola?

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (15:04): I guess what we have heard today is that the Liberal Party is totally split on this issue. They have been fighting amongst themselves once again. I went to—

Mr PISONI: I have a point of order. The question was about the Premier's position.

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley, he has hardly even started. The Premier.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I know for members opposite, too, that the issue of mining—and, indeed, uranium mining—is very contentious. For instance, I know that there was a golden silence—

Mr PISONI: Point of order, Madam Speaker!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, member for Unley.

Mr PISONI: The question was about the Premier's position on mining at Arkaroola, not about any other members in the house.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

An honourable member: What number is that?

Mr PISONI: Relevance.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Unley, I will not uphold that point of order until I have heard a little bit more from the Premier; he has only just started. I know that he will stick to the subject.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I will tell members my position, first, on mining, that is, that we have just opened the 12^th mine. There were five mines—

Members interjecting:

Mr PISONI: Point of order: just for the Premier's benefit, it is mining at Arkaroola. That is the position we want—mining at Arkaroola, Premier.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Sit down, member for Unley. Premier.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Okay. In the next few months, it will be the 16^th mine, and 30 more to come.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Go on, stand up, stand up! So, the key thing is that for members on that side mining is some kind of 'mirage in the desert', but not for us. I went to Arkaroola—

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: You don't want to hear the bit about Arkaroola.

The SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition, point of order.

Mrs REDMOND: Madam Speaker, you already said that you would listen to the Premier to see where he was going with the answer. Clearly, he is not providing an answer which is relevant to the question asked, which was: what is the government's position on mining in Arkaroola?

The SPEAKER: I am sure, leader, that the Premier is leading to that.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: We had a member opposite laughing about a tragedy before, and now, when I get onto the issue of Arkaroola, they try to shut me down. I went to Arkaroola. I went to Arkaroola with the minister for the environment. I went to Arkaroola with the minister for mineral resources. In fact, the three us went together, because we are a united front—not like you lot; you would have gone in separate buses.

The key thing is that what we did there was listen to the Spriggs and those naturalists and environmentalists—good and decent people—who are opposed to mining. We also listened to the proponents of the mine. We gave them equal amounts of time, and we gave them separate time as well as collective time. And, I can announce today, that the minister for mineral resources will soon be making a determination.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Little Para.