Environment Protection Authority Dredging Fees

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Water. Will the minister inform the house on how recent changes to EPA dredging fees have reduced costs for regional councils and communities?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (15:03): I thank the member for MacKillop for his question about a particularly interesting way that we have been looking to cut the cost of doing business for regional councils in South Australia. We have just had the Premier share the outcomes of cutting the emergency services levy to South Australian businesses and households—a substantial stimulus that was given across South Australia.

This government is looking continually at opportunities to hand money back to South Australian households and businesses because when we do that we give people more control over the way they spend their money, and we believe very strongly that that provides a way of leadership that will stimulate the broader South Australian economy, give people the choice to create jobs and grow our economy.

In speaking with the member for MacKillop some months ago—and the Premier also had these conversations when visiting the South-East of our state—it became apparent that there was a situation where EPA licence day fees for dredging were creating particular financial cost burdens on small regional councils where they had to dredge ports and rivers within their jurisdictions. We know that regional councils in South Australia often have quite a small rates base, so every dollar they can save that can be transferred back to households and businesses in the form of lower rates or invested in other forms of council-provided infrastructure should be actively pursued.

This government is very keen to look continually at ways that the business we do, the cost of doing that business, where we put particular red tape (or green tape, in the case of my department) in the way of businesses and individuals in our community, we are keen to look at ways in which we can reduce that. When I became a minister, the Premier made it very clear that we had to continually look at ways in which we could remove that cost burden from South Australian households and businesses.

So it was with great pleasure that, in working with the EPA, I was able to identify that the daily licence fees of $681 per day that were charged for dredging, and $170 per day for earthworks, could be waived for small regional councils that were undertaking these works. An example of this is an action that occurred in the member for MacKillop's electorate, in the Kingston District Council, which undertook 21 days of dredging recently. The fees would have exceeded $16,000—a significant financial hit for that community, given the relatively small rates base. We have been able to waive those fees and enable the council to take control of that money and invest it in another place or, of course, pass it on as rates relief in future years because that is an activity that they continually do. Taking that pressure off them is a good thing, of course.

It won't just be the district council of Kingston. I have written to mayors and councils across our state, highlighting where this policy will benefit largely small regional councils with particular pressures and small rates bases. This is yet another example of the Marshall Liberal government having an insight into the financial burdens that government can put on South Australian households, businesses and the local government sector and removing those burdens.