Rex Minerals

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Water. Are Rex Minerals compelled to upgrade the water main from Port Wakefield through to the mine site as part of the mining approval? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr ELLIS: Concerns have been raised with me that there are no upgrades coming, and with many along the line needing extra water supply, they have been left feeling anxious about what the drain of a large-scale mine operation might do to their existing limited supply.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:43): This is when I usually get up and say that the member has a longstanding interest in and support for Rex Minerals, but that is not the case in this matter. He has been, I think it is fair to say, an opponent of the use of agricultural land for mining. He is someone who has stood up for the rights of farmers when the previous government wanted to allow mining companies to enter agricultural land. He stood on principle, and I respect that. It's one thing to go out and say these things and another thing to actually do it and stand up for your principles. Principles are easy to have when you don't have to stand up for them, but when you have to stand up for them they are a lot harder—and he did it. It's very, very impressive that he did that.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: This is about you obeying standing orders again?

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Congratulations. Happy New Year. Do you think we are having a bad year? You are the only one. You are the only one, mate.

So what Rex Minerals are required to do is that if they have infrastructure that they need to augment or take advantage of, we expect mining companies to pay for it. Now, if the member has evidence that the Rex Minerals development in the Yorke Peninsula has an adverse impact on water pressure or availability of water for other developments, I will have a look at that, absolutely. In my personal view, mining companies are big enough and ugly enough to look after themselves and, if there is infrastructure to be spent to help them get those minerals out of the ground, then it is up to them to pay for it now.

We also want to encourage development, but there have been a lot of benefits to what Rex Minerals has been doing there as well by upgrading intersections; they do a lot of work. I know that the member would begrudgingly acknowledge the work that has been done by Rex Minerals on upgrading some roads on Yorke Peninsula as well. I don't think Rex Minerals in any way would want to take advantage of the SA water system. So what I will do is undertake to go away and have a look at this. I will talk to the member after question time and try to get some more details and, if Rex Minerals are getting any sort of free ride or having any sort of adverse impact on the water system, I will speak to the Minister for Water.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sorry?

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Congratulations. We will get back to the house about how the mining tenement, the mining licence is being implemented and what Rex's responsibilities are.