Mineral and Energy Resources

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:35): My question is to the Treasurer. Given that there are now almost 5,300 fewer South Australians employed in the mining sector than at the time he promised to create an extra 5,000 mining jobs, will the Treasurer now concede that his promise to create these additional 5,000 jobs by 2017 was unrealistic and irresponsible over-spruiking?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:36): No, sir. We aim high, we are an ambitious government.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I find it interesting that a political party that does everything it can to stop the expansion of our oil and gas sector now complains that the government has not done enough. They do everything they can to try to stop the expansion of the oil and gas sector, so much so that they voted with the Greens to establish a parliamentary inquiry into this very industry and the largest company in South Australia, the top ASX-listed company in South Australia, has condemned the Liberal Party.

Of course, these Greens policies pumped out by the Liberal Party will not change the fact that copper prices are down internationally, iron ore prices are down internationally. Any state government, any politician, that gets up and tells you they can change the international commodity price of copper, of uranium, of oil, of gas would not be being honest with the people of this state. Members opposite, who do not like these industries anyway and who attack them, now complain that the government is not doing enough.

We are the most investment-friendly state government in the country. The Fraser Institute, an independent research institute, says that this state government has the best regulatory approach for the investment of mining anywhere in Australia. We are held in high regard by the Western Australians, by the Queenslanders, by the Victorians, by the Northern Territory government—conservative governments. They say that the South Australian approach to the mining sector is the one we should be adopting. They are the ones who are saying it.

I was recently in Western Australia, and the Western Australian mining minister got up and praised the South Australian government for our move on taxation and for the way we deal with PACE. I have to say that it is a bit rich that after a bit of karaoke with the Greens the Leader of the Opposition turns up and says, 'You're not doing enough for the resources sector,' after he does everything he can behind the scenes to try to stop it.