Office of the State Coordinator-General

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:21): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment a question about the Office of the State Coordinator-General.

Leave granted.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: The Joyce review recommended that the Office of the State Coordinator-General move to the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment. The department has confirmed that this recommendation was accepted by the government and was implemented on 1 April 2019. However, in answers to estimates questions the minister advised that the government is expecting $1.1 million in savings from not renewing the funding to the State Coordinator-General. I am advised that 100 projects, valued at approximately $1.89 billion, have been granted development plan consent under the Coordinator-General scheme. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why has the Marshall Liberal government decided to close an office that helped to approve $1.89 billion of developments?

2. Was the decision to close this office made before or after the transfer to the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment?

3. Will this decision discourage investment in South Australia?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:22): I thank the honourable member for her question. It is interesting that on 31 December 2018, the regulatory powers of the State Coordinator-General will change and the Office of the State Coordinator-General will close. We advised the honourable member during estimates—not her, but her colleagues, because she can't participate in estimates—that there will be no specific funding allocation in the 2019-20 budget.

As the assessment scheme under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act and the associated Planning, Development and Infrastructure General Regulations 2017 become operational across the state by mid-2020, the following regulatory powers currently exercised by the State Coordinator-General will change:

the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) will be the relevant authority in relation to a proposed development where the minister, by notice served on the proponent, calls the proposed development in for assessment;

the relevant authority will assess diplomatic development, such as new or upgraded consular facilities; and

the relevant authority will consider proposed development at The Bend Motorsport Park.

To effect the office closure, the Office of the State Coordinator-General will accept and process until 15 November 2019 any requests concerning call-in assessment, diplomatic development or proposed development at The Bend Motorsport Park. As from 18 November 2019, the Office of the State Coordinator-General will still accept requests until 13 December 2019 but it is likely that the final processing of these requests and any request beyond 18 December 2019 will be referred to the Director, Legal and Statutory Services, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.

Key stakeholders of the Office of the State Coordinator-General have been informed of the aforementioned changes. Post 31 December 2019, employees of the Office of the State Coordinator-General will retain a specialist function within the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment within the context of their industry teams to provide support to investment clients in the form of specialist services, navigating them through the planning system to secure government approvals.