House of Assembly Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2) 53 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Drill Core Mining Drill Core Mining Mr TRELOAR House of Assembly Flinders Drill Core Mining Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (15:15): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. Does the Minister for Mineral Resources agree with his colleague, the member for Colton, that DC drilling in the Bight could cause damage to coastal environments and tourism? The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Finance Minister for State Development Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy Drill Core Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (15:15): Of course it could if it's not managed properly, Mr Speaker. That's why we have NOPSEMA in place, who are world-class regulators— Mr Marshall House of Assembly Mr Marshall: You've got NOPSEMA in place? The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We have. Members interjecting: The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Well, I'll explain to the Leader of the Opposition how it works. The states had to agree to the establishment of NOPSEMA. Mr Marshall House of Assembly Mr Marshall: Tell him! The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No, I'm telling you, because the Leader of the Opposition's got form on exploration for unconventional gas, and he has been a proponent who has supported the Greens' proposal to have an inquiry into unconventional gas, and, indeed, under the leadership of the member for Dunstan the Liberal Party voted with the Greens to establish an inquiry into unconventional gas. Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order: the member is debating the question; it's nowhere near the substance of the question. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: I'll listen carefully to what's in the minister's answer. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: What the member for Colton is doing is not attempting to stop anything; he's simply seeking answers to questions. The member for Colton is entitled to seek views and hear alternative views from people about this issue. The government has been very clear: we support, with the appropriate regulation in place, the exploration that is occurring in the Great Australian Bight. We are very grateful to the commonwealth government for the regulation that NOPSEMA is offering. We think the expertise on that board and the expertise of the regulator in NOPSEMA are doing a very, very good job. We think that, while it is a risk, all endeavours have risk. If the appropriate regulation is in place and the company can't show the independent regulator, which is the commonwealth regulator, how they would undertake this safely they won't be granted their licence to explore. So, I'm very comfortable with the position, I'm very comfortable with members of our party asking questions. The member for Colton holds a seaside suburb, and he cares passionately about our coastline and our marine biodiversity. He is a great fisher; indeed, he's the only person in this house who is a gold medallist— The Hon. P. Caica House of Assembly The Hon. P. Caica: Two. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Two gold medals, Mr Speaker. But I'll tell you what he doesn't do: he doesn't side with the Greens. I notice the Leader of the Opposition wearing his green tie today in sympathy with me. We are happy to rely on the science. We don't let politics dictate exploration: we let science dictate exploration. Mr Bell House of Assembly Mr Bell: Like our marine parks, based on science. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The member interjects, 'like our marine parks', and I submit back to him, like him voting with Tammy Franks to establish an inquiry into unconventional gas which has put at risk one of the largest industries in this state— Mr Gardner interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —which brought condemnation from Santos, Beach Energy, Senex, Apia, all upon the Leader of the Opposition trying to improve his green credentials.