House of Assembly Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1) 54 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Mining Legislation Mining Legislation The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Mining Legislation The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (14:39): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Will the minister now agree to conduct meaningful consultation with the industry and regional communities in relation to his mining bill? The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly Stuart Minister for Energy and Mining Mining Legislation The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:39): Despite the fact that that question is out of order according to standing order 97, I am happy to answer that. The short version of the answer is that we are consulting with regional communities nonstop, absolutely nonstop. I'll tell you what: as well as having a significant number of regional MPs on this side of the house, all our metropolitan-based MPs have an interest in the regions as well. We understand on this side of the chamber— Mr Picton interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned for a second and final time. The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: We understand on this side of the chamber that our state is actually our entire state. It's not just about the city or just about the country or just about the outback. Let me tell you, Mr Speaker: we represent electorates from one end of this state to the other, from east to west, north to south, and we represent metropolitan Adelaide seats as well. There is no other party that can say that. We represent people from the breadth— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left and right! The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: The Leader— The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Mawson, I have been to Kangaroo Island. It's beautiful. The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: The Leader of the Opposition interjects saying, 'We can say that we represent the entire breadth of the state because we have one seat in the country.' That displays his complete lack of understanding. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: We represent— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Get on with it. The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —the entire state and in every decision we make we focus on the entire state. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: So we are nonstop consulting with regional South Australians on all issues, and here's another interesting point: the question is, 'Will you consult with regional South Australia on this issue?' when it should actually be 'on all issues'. That's how we go about it. That's how narrow the view is over there. We consult with regional people on all issues— Mr Hughes interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Giles is warned. The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —and we value— Mr Hughes interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Giles, please. The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —the contribution of our country, outback and metropolitan MPs towards our— The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell House of Assembly The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: Yorke Peninsula? The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is warned. The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —collective decision-making. We encourage people to bring different views to the party. We encourage people to engage with their communities. In fact, we engage with communities that we are not immediately directly part of nonstop as part of that broader consultation. The question that the member for West Torrens has asked belies his complete misunderstanding of what it actually means to consult with a regional community. It's a very poor reflection on the member who asked that question. It's a nonstop issue for us. With regard to the inference in his question that we have not done so, I reject that completely out of hand. Mr Hughes interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Giles is warned a second time.