Pelican Lagoon

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (14:48): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Water. Will the minister update the house on the government's recent decision to negotiate a lease of a proportion of Crown land near Pelican Lagoon on Kangaroo Island?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (14:49): I thank the member for Finniss for his question in relation to an important economic project on Kangaroo Island and quite possibly an important economic project for our state more broadly. When it comes to matters of Kangaroo Island, a unique tourism destination in our state, it is so critically important to balance economic development against the preservation and sustainment of our natural environment. The government's recent announcement to lease some blocks of Crown land to a developer to undertake the creation of a links golf course on the coast at Pelican Lagoon is an example of working incredibly carefully to strike that balance between economic development and sustaining our natural environment, which is what people go to Kangaroo Island to enjoy in the first place.

It has been good to be able to visit Kangaroo Island and actually visit the proposed site of that golf course at Pelican Lagoon. As the minister, I felt that was very important to get on the ground and get an understanding—a very physical understanding—of the lie of the land and understand what natural assets are there and what economic potential is there, and also ensure that I had conversations with key stakeholders from the mayor and the chief executive of Kangaroo Island Council through to the natural resources management board, through to environmental groups and the wider community as to how that project can potentially go ahead in a way that will ensure that the environment and the economy are balanced.

It has also been good, and I should acknowledge the opportunity to speak to the member for Mawson along the way in striking this project because it has been important to ensure that he, as the local member for Kangaroo Island, understands the government's process going forward. So, in simple terms, the government has decided not to sell the land. There had been in the past a suggestion that land might be sold.

That certainly wouldn't fly with the Kangaroo Island community and was subject to a lot of criticism, so the government has taken the decision to lease a series of blocks of Crown land along the coastline at Pelican Lagoon, but importantly to exclude a buffer zone of around 50 metres along the coastal strip to ensure that the cliffs and the most fragile vegetation along that site are preserved and aren't impacted by the development. The project, now that we have agreed to lease the land, will move forward to its next stage, which will involve development approval through the planning, transport and infrastructure department.

So I look forward to being able to work with my colleagues on both sides of the house as we develop this project and work with the Kangaroo Island community to ensure that it is a project that has the best chance of success, balancing economic development with the preservation of our natural environment and, importantly, creating a real drawcard for tourists and visitors to go to Kangaroo Island to enjoy what the island has to offer, to invest in South Australia's economy and to provide vitally important jobs on Kangaroo Island, particularly for young people living on the island.