Kangaroo Island Seaport

515 The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (5 December 2018). As complete details regarding the spraying regimes used during the history of the Kangaroo Island plantations are not available, should woodchips be allowed to be stockpiled on the edge of Smith Bay given the potential for toxic leachate to enter the waters of the bay with possible fatal consequences for marine life?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning): I have been advised of the following—

A proposal by Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers Ltd (KIPT) to establish a deepwater port facility and associated facilities at Smith Bay was declared a major development by my predecessor in February 2017.

The then minister made this declaration having formed the view that the proposal met the two criteria for a major development as prescribed under section 46 of the Development Act 1993. Firstly, the proposal had major economic and environmental implications. Secondly, the declaration was appropriate and necessary for the proper assessment of the proposal.

The next step in the process was for Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers to lodge a formal development application and supporting documentation with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI). DPTI then, in consultation with government agencies, and including the commonwealth environment department, provided advice to the then Development Assessment Commission who independently set the level of assessment required and formal guidelines to apply to that assessment.

Guidelines for an environmental impact statement level of assessment were prescribed and released in June 2017.

Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers then worked on preparing a draft environmental impact statement in response to the guidelines set and lodged this with DPTI for an adequacy check review. It was determined, in discussion with relevant agencies, that extra information was required in the environmental impact statement prior to its release for public consultation.

The environmental impact statement has subsequently been amended by the proponent. It has been resubmitted to government for a further check. The next step in the process involves determining whether these amendments are satisfactory, and if so, the following step will be the formal release of the document for agency and public consultation.

As the member would be aware, making a decision to declare the proposed development does not imply support or otherwise for the project. It does however trigger a comprehensive, robust whole of government assessment of the proposal, with the final decision at the state level to be made by the Governor on advice of Executive Council.'