Ministerial Statement

Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (15:10): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Mr Speaker, 12 months ago the government announced its intention to establish the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission, the first of its kind in the nation. The commission was established to undertake an independent and comprehensive investigation into South Australia's participation in four areas of activity that form part of the nuclear fuel cycle: mining, enrichment, energy and storage. At the time of its establishment I said that South Australians should be given the opportunity to explore the practical, financial and ethical issues raised by a deeper involvement in the nuclear industries.

On 15 February 2016, the royal commission will reach its next milestone with the public release of its tentative findings. In total, the commission has received over 250 submissions and heard from 128 witnesses over 34 sitting days, including 37 international experts. The commissioner has said that these findings will provide an opportunity to update progress and highlight how the community might comment during a five-week feedback period. I encourage every South Australian who has not yet had their say on these issues to consider the evidence presented in the tentative findings and engage in this important debate.

A series of public meetings will be held over one week starting on 15 February in Adelaide, then moving to Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier, Ceduna, Renmark and Aboriginal communities in the Far North and West Coast. This is a further step to ensure the community has access to key facts and findings to make an informed judgement and an opportunity to engage with the commission about the evidence they have gathered.

On 6 May this year, the commission will provide its final report. At that time, the government will decide on the next steps and embark on the next stage of the conversation with the South Australian community. The evidence gathered by the royal commission will enable the South Australian community to discuss and deliberate on the risks and opportunities of further participation in all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle. I envisage this engagement process taking place between May and August this year.

Once we have the findings, I would anticipate some engagement with the commonwealth government about the final report. This will be followed by a period of decision-making, where the government will need to assess the evidence gathered by the commission and the feedback from the community before outlining its full response to the royal commission. I believe that ensuring any future steps can be taken safely is a key threshold question to be satisfied by government, community and industry in our deliberations. I expect to provide a full response to the royal commission to the parliament before the end of sitting this year.

The government awaits the commission's recommendations, and I encourage all South Australians to engage with the commission over the next couple of months and then with the government throughout the course of the year as we consider the most appropriate response to the recommendations that come from the commission.