Ministerial Statement

Copper and Scrap Metal Theft

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Police) (14:07): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Today the Malinauskas Labour government continues its record of cracking down on crime, with new reforms announced to prevent copper and scrap metal theft, with the reforms released for public consultation. The government has continued to deliver law reform, cracking down on child sex offending, dangerous driving, arsonists causing bushfires, outlaw motorcycle gang members, domestic violence perpetrators, drug traffickers, and those who assault retail workers and police officers. We have also substantially increased resourcing to South Australia Police to get more sworn officers onto frontline duties and to invest in the equipment and premises necessary to help them protect the community.

Today's reforms continue this proud record by targeting the theft of copper and scrap metal, which is a dangerous and expensive crime. It is not only inconvenient due to the delays caused to building works for householders and builders but it also comes at a huge expense to businesses, which often spend tens of thousands of dollars a week on replacement and prevention measures.

Concerningly, the theft of copper wiring also poses a significant safety risk to members of the public as well as to construction workers, with criminals often leaving live wires exposed on construction sites. It can also cause huge disruptions to public infrastructure, such as in July 2023 when the theft of a $2,000 piece of copper cabling launched the metropolitan train network into safety mode, causing significant morning peak-hour disruptions.

The state government is consulting the public and scrap metal industry and the community on our proposal to develop a standalone piece of legislation to make it harder for criminals to sell stolen scrap metal and copper. This includes reforms such as:

requiring scrap metal dealers to be registered and undergo probity checks;

prohibiting cash or the use of cryptocurrency to buy and sell scrap metal;

requiring proof of ID and accurate records for all scrap metal transactions;

requiring scrap metal dealers to upload transaction details into a digital portal;

allowing police to inspect scrap metal dealer premises and issue closure orders to those who do not comply; and

enforcing appropriate penalties for breaches of the act.

I encourage members of the community to have their say on the proposed copper and scrap metal reforms as part of a three-week public consultation period by visiting the YourSAy website.