Planning and Design Code

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:34): My question is to the Attorney-General. Can the Attorney-General update the house on how a streamlined planning system is driving growth in South Australia.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Local Government) (14:34): I thank the member for Newland for this question in my newly minted role. I thank the Premier for appointing me as the Minister for Planning and indicate to the house that obviously my job is now to be focused on all the economic recovery that flows from COVID-19 that our state has faced. Importantly, the Premier reasserts the need to keep South Australians safe and strong.

Since becoming minister, I have approved several major projects such as the relocation of the temporary generators to Snapper Point, which will support 70 well-paying jobs and, of course, bolster grid security. The new planning system, good news in this regard. Whilst I have announced already that there will be some delay in the finalisation of phase 3 of the planning and development code, phases 1 and 2 are currently operational, with hundreds of development applications already lodged through this new system.

I urge members to go online and identify an area in regional South Australia. I looked at 10 Smith Street, Port Vincent. It can tell you all the laws and zones that apply. I don't know who lives in 10 Smith Street, Port Vincent, no idea.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Lee!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: Perhaps the member for Lee has. Perhaps it's the member for Lee's holiday house or something.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: I don't know. It might be the Hon. Clare Scriven's. In any event, I don't know whose holiday house it is.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: Somebody over there can tell me perhaps. Anyway, I went on to check and that tells us exactly all the planning zones and obligations that relate to it. It's a very instructive and helpful tool, I think, for both the professionals in this field and also, of course, for the home owners themselves, or members across the other side who might have a holiday house at 10 Smith Street.

There have also been 150 development applications, since going live on 31 July, granted to phase 2 council areas. There are another 500 lodged for assessment through the new ePlanning portal. These projects come in many shapes and sizes, but one thing they all have in common, of course, is the job opportunity investment to our regional areas. The ePlanning platform, for members' education, alters the way that policies are stored, retrieved and maintained, obviously making it easier, for the reasons I have outlined. The national HomeBuilder scheme stimulus package is also having a positive impact on housing proposals.

I look forward to receiving the final development proposal for the SA-New South Wales interconnector, a proposal that we as a government are fast-tracking and, as the Minister for Energy has outlined, a critical part of the security and pricing of power in our state. The planning system is now teeming with projects, keen to build off the interconnector. We have made that commitment as a government and people are lining up. This includes Neoen's Goyder South project, which is currently in community consultation and has secured its first offtake in stage 1 of that project.

It's a huge project. Each of the stages includes around 400 megawatts of wind generation, 200 megawatts of solar generation and 300 megawatts of battery storage. This dwarfs all existing projects. Neoen has made it crystal clear that it only works with the SA and New South Wales interconnector. So no interconnector means none of these projects will progress.

Sadly, it is disappointing to see the Labor opposition continuing to oppose this interconnector. They had a good idea in the old member for Lee Patrick Conlon's day. That got dumped. Of course, now they are very anti, but nevertheless we are getting on with the job and we will provide that security to South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Premier's time has expired. Before I call the member for Reynell, I warn the member for Badcoe, I warn for a second time the member for Playford, I warn the member for Lee and I warn the member for West Torrens.