Legislative Council Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2) 51 2 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Marathon Resources MARATHON RESOURCES The Hon. M. PARNELL Legislative Council MARATHON RESOURCES The Hon. M. PARNELL (15:03): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Mineral Resources Development a question about Marathon Resources. Leave granted. The Hon. M. PARNELL Legislative Council The Hon. M. PARNELL: The government has announced an indefinite suspension of the licence held by Marathon Resources to explore the sensitive and iconic Mount Gee area within the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. This was in response to the confirmation by PIRSA of a significant breach by Marathon of the operating conditions of its licence. In justifying the decision to suspend rather than cancel the exploration licence, the government has argued that the licence needs to remain in place so that Marathon can be required to undertake rehabilitation at the site. Yet it is clear that the company believes the suspension is only a temporary setback. The government has failed, in media statements and in answer to my question here two weeks ago, to rule out the option that Marathon Resources will be allowed to resume its operations once the clean-up is complete. My question of the minister is: will you now confirm, once and for all, that when the clean-up by the company is complete its exploration licence will be cancelled? Or, in the alternative, can you guarantee that the suspension of that licence will remain until the exploration licence expires naturally in October 2009? 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) (15:05): The investigation in relation to the Marathon company is still ongoing, and until that is completed I am not prepared to make any final statement. This government certainly has no intention of allowing Marathon Resources to resume activities in the foreseeable future; however, any final decision will obviously have to wait until all investigations are complete.