SASKATCHEWAN MINING DEVELOPMENT

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:35): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources Development. Will the minister provide details of the progress being made by this government to work more closely with our overseas counterparts to boost our knowledge and expertise in the area of mining and resource development? I refer in particular to the Saskatchewan cooperation.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:35): I thank the honourable member for her first question in four years. South Australia in many areas leads the way in assessing and regulating the mining and energy industries, but that does not mean we cannot look abroad for inspiration and support for scientific and technical expertise to improve our world class regulatory system or that we should not share our experience and expertise with others.

Within the past few days, in Toronto, representatives of Primary Industries and Resources SA, Minerals and Energy division, have signed a memorandum of understanding with their counterparts in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The objectives of the memorandum of understanding, signed on the sidelines of the world's biggest mining convention, are to:

encourage and maximise the economic development of the mineral sectors of their province or state;

share similar jurisdictional issues in relation to the administration of exploration and mining;

share experiences with information systems to most effectively disseminate government and industry geoscientific information;

seek a 'window' into the mining and mineral exploration scenes in their respective jurisdictions;

advance and promote best practice and continuous technical and scientific improvement in their geoscientific activities (an aspect of this could include professional development exchanges); and

cooperate in the preparation of geological studies or other forms of information of mutual interest to both participants.

There are many mutual benefits that can flow when two agencies with such a wealth of experience and knowledge in the promotion of exploration and regulation of mining are able to pool their resources and know-how. Saskatchewan is the leading jurisdiction in North America for uranium exploration and mining production. The Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan has the world's largest high-grade uranium mines and produces about 23 per cent of the world's uranium. On the other hand, South Australia is recognised as being one of the most prospective geological terrains for the next generation of uranium mine development in Australia. The Olympic Dam deposit in its own right contains more than one-third of the world's known low-cost recoverable uranium resources.

I quote from my counterpart, Bill Boyd, Minister for Energy and Resources in Saskatchewan, who stated:

The partnership between our jurisdictions will foster an environment for open exchanges on world's best practice mineral exploration and mining. Good science is often forged by innovative alliances such as this.

I wholeheartedly share those sentiments admirably expressed by Mr Boyd, and I look forward to the joint cooperation of the South Australian and Saskatchewan geological surveys leading to new insights for exploration and discovery and the benefits that provides to both our jurisdictions.

I also add that the beginnings of this arrangement came during a visit by a number of Canadian ministers, including the Hon. Nancy Heppner, the Minister of Environment in Saskatchewan. She was a newly installed minister who sought cooperation with South Australia in relation to how Saskatchewan could improve its regulation of mining activities that come under that portfolio within Saskatchewan. I am very pleased that, as a result of those initial contacts we had during that visit by the Premier of Manitoba and other ministers such as Ms Heppner, we were able to develop this memorandum of understanding with Saskatchewan, which I am sure will be of long-term benefit to both our state and the province of Saskatchewan.