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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-29 Daily Xml
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MINERAL RESOURCES

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (14:22): My question is to the Premier. What action is the government taking to ensure that every South Australian gets their fair share of the wealth created by the resources boom?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:22): I thank the honourable member for his question. Our state's natural resources are the inheritance of every South Australian. Every South Australian has the right to share in the wealth that is created through our mining resources. The government has laid out as a priority for our activities how we actually do realise and share the benefits of the undoubted mining boom that exists in South Australia—although not in the minds of some people, apparently.

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: 'It just hasn't started yet'—The Advertiser seems to have a different point of view, but, anyway. The key to this is making sure that South Australians have the skills that they will need in order to participate in the mining industry. We have identified this as the critical issue that will allow more South Australians to participate in the mining industry.

On the weekend, the Treasurer and the Minister for Employment announced that the government would be investing $38.3 million in a new dedicated training centre for mining, engineering, defence and transport industries at Regency Park. At that new centre, young people will learn trades like welding, fabrication, diesel and heavy vehicle maintenance, surveying and spatial services, and mechanical engineering. In addition to this new school, each of our universities has world-class professional training programs in the resources sector, including the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide.

This quality education will help our young people to secure those fantastically available but also highly skilled and highly remunerated jobs that exist in this resources sector. There is no doubt that the expanding resources sector will need more and more skilled workers and that is why we have added to that our $194 million Skills for All program, which is aimed at getting the workforce necessary to meet those needs.

That is why when we received news of the approval of the enterprise migration agreement at Roy Hill in Western Australia it raised real concerns with us. Since the earliest mining production, we have welcomed people from overseas to work in our mines and will continue to do that, but this cannot be at the cost of South Australians getting access to these jobs in these mining projects. That is the approach we have taken in relation to BHP and that is the approach we will continue to take.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I have written to the Prime Minister to seek her assurances that the enterprise migration agreements will only be used as a last resort in South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —only where there are no local workers with the skills needed and only where a significant number of South Australian workers are employed.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: This government will never allow South Australian workers to be left behind and if those opposite seem to be in agreement with us, perhaps they could add their voice to our call.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition.

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