GEOSCIENCE RESOURCES

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. Can the minister inform the house of the government's commitment to providing world-class pre-competitive data to the state's resources sector?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:58): I thank the member for Lee for his question and his keen interest in all things rocks.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Too soon? As we begin the new year, South Australia has a record 988 current mineral exploration licences. That is higher than the heights set before the global financial crisis. Since coming to office, this Labor government has worked to foster and develop a world-class resources sector, supported by a world-class regulatory environment and world-leading pre-competitive data. South Australia leads the way. Consistently ranking higher and higher in the annual Fraser Institute global mining survey as a mining-friendly province, South Australia also holds the title of having the best geological databases in the world, and remains rated the jurisdiction in Australia with the lowest regulatory risk for mining businesses, based on RESOURCESTOCKS' World Risk Survey. However, this government does not rest on its laurels; we recognise that we can always do more.

Last Friday, at the South Australian Chamber of Mines luncheon, I was pleased to launch the new additions to the South Australian Resources Information Geoserver (SARIG), which the member for Waite was kind enough to come along and listen to. Improvements to this online service further underpin this government's commitment to maintaining the hard-won reputation as being the world's best. Our state's online geoscience resource, SARIG 2020, has been a wonderful resource and is now getting better with the implementation of our status widget, allowing companies applying for exploration licences to track the progress of their applications in detail.

This development is yet another step forward to streamlining the process of moving from discovery to mine development. This new function means that companies applying for mineral exploration licences here in South Australia will be able to track the progress of their applications in detail. Having this information at your fingertips also improves transparency and assists companies to better understand the government's processes for assessing and issuing exploration licences. This exploration licence tracking application is part of a broader program that will eventually allow companies and investors to visually monitor the progress of all mining tenement applications.

The new tool is part of the South Australian government's PACE 2020 initiative which is leading the charge in stimulating new discoveries. Releasing targeted precompetitive data through SARIG reduces risk and boosts discovery opportunities while the government continues to support explorers through its updated geological surveys and drilling partnerships. The improvements in SARIG are yet another example of how this Labor government continues to foster development and investment across the state's rich resource sector. Mr Speaker, 30 seconds to go and I did not say a thing about how hopeless they are.