Mineral and Energy Resources

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (14:49): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. Can the minister inform the house of any initiatives to review the state's mining laws and the role the public can play in informing that process?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:49): I want to thank the member for the question and his keen interest in the resources sector and how important it is to his community. The government's ambition for South Australia is to be a diversified economy, and one of the key planks of that diversified economy is our resources sector. Mineral resources are fundamental to the building blocks of our way of life, from steel used in major projects like the Adelaide Oval, the fertiliser used by our farmers, the copper needed to power our homes to the aggregate we use to build our highways.

Each day, thousands of South Australians work in or alongside the mining and quarrying industry of this state, and resource companies remain a very large leader of employment of Aboriginal Australians. We are blessed as a state to be endowed with world-class mineral deposits. We undertake world-leading geological survey and exploration initiatives to put this state in the best possible position to seek, exploit and of course develop the next wave of discoveries. The best way to maintain that community support for this essential and vital industry is to never compromise on our world-class environmental framework.

South Australians expect and indeed demand that all mine sites be developed and rehabilitated in line with the world's leading regulations and using the best available technologies and practices. Today, the government launched a website—www.minerals.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/mining_acts_review—so that South Australians can play a key role in the leading practice review of the Mining Act 1971, the Miners and Works Inspection Act 1920 and, of course, the Opal Mining Act 1995, which was highlighted today on The Today Show, where it was filming from.

The website identifies eight targets for reform, such as removing obsolete processes in keeping with our simplify red tape reduction initiative, embracing the rapidly evolving digital economy and reinforcing leading practice environmental protections. South Australia already has an international reputation for providing a very transparent, thorough and rigorous assessment process for this industry. Our expert regulators ensure community and environmental safety while at the same time providing certainty for investors and, most importantly, for landowners.

South Australia must remain steadfast in ensuring our laws continue to encourage and reward early transparent engagement with landowners and, most importantly, with communities. Policy renewal is always important—always important. By doing this work now, South Australia will be in the box seat to realise the enormous benefits that will flow from the next upswing in the commodity cycles that we know historically will return to this state.

Listening to the community through comprehensive consultation is a basic requirement when developing a policy. It is important, and you see it in other policy announcements that have just been announced out of the blue. No-one saw them coming, and there were dramatic impacts on local communities. The small business community is reeling from the Leader of the Opposition's announcement of trading hours. On this side of the house, though, we believe that through proper consultation with the community and industry we can make better decisions.

The new website is the first stage of that process and will include an opportunity in the next month for the public to provide their views through YourSAy, with the aim of shaping amendments to be put to this parliament in 2017.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I heard the Leader of the Opposition interject about surprises in terms of taxes, much like South Australians were surprised when the opposition sold ETSA after having promised that they never ever, ever, ever would, full stop, and now we are paying the consequences today of that 100-year lease that members opposite to this day still defend—still defend.