Mineral Exploration

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (14:23): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Can the minister update the house on the latest exploration numbers and what this is delivering for jobs and economic growth in South Australia?

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is called to order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:23): Thank you to the member for—

An honourable member: Morphett.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Thank you very much—sorry, I was distracted thinking about another topic when the absolutely outstanding member for Morphett, who is an extraordinary first-term member of parliament—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —and a very good friend, asked me this important and constructive question.

Mr Duluk interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Waite is called to order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Like all of us on this side of the chamber, the member for Morphett is interested in economic growth. An outstanding measure of economic growth is exploration in the minerals sector and I have fantastic news for the entire chamber: exploration in the mineral sector is on the up.

In fact, $85.4 million was spent on minerals exploration in the last financial year and 26.6 per cent of it in the last quarter—the highest quarterly expense in minerals exploration for five years. So not only is business confidence up, and not only are we bucking the trend as we saw last week compared with other states, but minerals exploration is up.

We estimate that we have received $300.1 million in the last financial year in royalties. Of course, that is based on actual mineral production. Minerals exploration is what will deliver mines and royalties for our state into the future. It's an outstanding example of business confidence in this very important sector, which is one of our most important employers as well and will contribute increased royalties in years to come.

Why is this so important? Because not only do we get the economic growth from the sector and not only do we get the thousands and thousands of jobs in this sector but we also get the royalties. The mining industry pays royalties to the state government and the state government uses that money to invest in schools, roads, hospitals, police, nurses, disability services and many other things, so this is a very important area of work for our state.

These numbers are outstanding and they also go towards greater employment opportunities. Through 2018-19, we had 2,967 job vacancies in the resources sector—outstanding opportunities—and I know that the Minister for Innovation and Skills is working very hard with his programs to create traineeships and apprenticeships and other ways that South Australians—

Ms Stinson: He's going to have to try a bit harder.

The SPEAKER: The member for Badcoe is called to order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —can skill themselves up to avail themselves of these outstanding opportunities. Let me also say that the 2,967 job vacancies in the resources sector in the last financial year are the highest on record since these numbers started being collated back in 2013. Eighteen months into the Marshall Liberal government in South Australia we see that the last 12 months have delivered outstanding results for the entire state through this sector.

People are full of confidence in this sector. People are not only operating their existing mining opportunities but they are getting out there. They are exploring and they are spending—in this case $85-plus million in the last financial year—so that hundreds of millions and billions of dollars can be spent in the years to come in productive mining activities.