Legislative Council Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2) 51 2 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Mineral Exploration MINERAL EXPLORATION The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council Leader of the Opposition MINERAL EXPLORATION The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:38): I have a supplementary question. Submissions close on Friday 23 November (this coming Friday). In the foreword or introduction the minister states, as I said earlier in my question, 'subject to full consultation with all stakeholders'. Can the minister— The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: There is no explanation in supplementary questions. The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Have all tenement holders in South Australia been provided with advice on this proposed set of amendments? The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY Legislative Council Minister for Police Minister for Mineral Resources Development Minister for Urban Development and Planning The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police, Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning) (14:39): The existence of this consultation paper was advertised. There was a very large advertisement in the press in the sections that cover all of the tenements. Whenever mining tenements are reissued, of course they need to be advertised in the press. There is a section in the press for those things, which those people concerned are regular readers of. So, I think anyone in that situation would have been well aware of this, either through that or through their industry bodies. As I said, I am not exactly sure whether every single person who has ever held a tenement in South Australia has been notified. However, I can assure honourable member that any serious player within the mining industry in this state would be well aware of the existence of the paper, either directly or through their bodies, and they will contact— The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting: The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY Legislative Council The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Well, as a matter of fact, at least one small miner has written to me about it. So, they are well aware of it as well. I am sure they have received a copy directly or else they also look at that relevant section of the newspaper where tenements are set out. I totally reject the assertion that, somehow or other, there has not been adequate consultation on this proposal. As I have said, contrast that with cases we have had in the past, particularly under the previous government, where legislation such as this would have been dropped cold. The fact is that this is really a discussion paper. We will then move to legislation, and we will have even more discussion at that stage—and it will also be discussed here in parliament. So, it is just nonsense to suggest that there has not been adequate consultation with the industry on these matters.