Nuclear Waste Storage Facility (Prohibition) (Public Money) Amendment Bill

Introduction and First Reading

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (12:10): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to amend the Nuclear Waste Storage Facility (Prohibition) Act 2000. Read a first time.

Second Reading

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (12:11): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Nuclear Waste Storage Facility (Prohibition) Act 2000 was passed by the South Australian parliament to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people of South Australia and to protect the environment by prohibiting the establishment of certain nuclear waste storage facilities in this state. Section 13 of the Nuclear Waste Storage Facility (Prohibition) Act 2000 states:

Despite any other Act or law to the contrary, no public money may be appropriated, expended or advanced to any person for the purpose of encouraging or financing any activity associated with the construction or operation of a nuclear waste storage facility in this State.

The government has formed the view that the repeal of section 13 is necessary to remove barriers that prevent consultation with the community about the findings of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission. The repeal of section 13 is necessary because it has the potential to inhibit public consultation on the merits of a nuclear waste storage facility once the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission hands down its final report to the government on 6 May 2016.

Once the royal commission hands down its final report, there will be a period of extensive community engagement that is expected to involve the commitment of public resources to facilitate the process. The repeal of section 13 does not signal a shift in the government's policy on nuclear storage and does not pave the way for a nuclear waste facility in South Australia. Section 8 of the act, which prohibits the construction or operation of a nuclear waste storage facility in South Australia, is retained in its current form. This means that any such policy decision would require new legislation to be brought to the parliament.

The bill is consistent with the government's commitment to South Australians that the government will discuss and deliberate on the risks and opportunities of further participation in all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle. The bill includes a retrospective commencement clause to take effect from the date of introduction into parliament. The retrospective commencement date is to enable the effective government planning to support public deliberation on the royal commission's final report.

The royal commission released its tentative findings on 15 February and will deliver its final report to the government by 6 May. The government will then consult on the report's findings before a position is reached by the end of 2016. I apologise to the house for reading the second reading explanation in full, but I thought it deserved an explanation personally. I seek leave to have the explanation of clauses inserted in Hansard without my reading it.

Leave granted.

Explanation of Clauses

Part 1—Preliminary

1—Short title

This clause is formal.

2—Commencement

The measure will be taken to have commenced on the day on which it was first introduced into the Parliament.

3—Amendment provisions

This clause is formal.

Part 2—Amendment of Nuclear Waste Storage Facility (Prohibition) Act 2000

4—Repeal of section 13

Section 13 is repealed by this clause.

Debate adjourned on motion of Ms Chapman.