HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-06-20 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

MINING EMPLOYMENT

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): My question is to the Premier. Why are South Australian mining jobs at the lowest levels in two years, with 3,500 jobs lost in the last three months since the government made 'realising the benefits of the mining boom for all' one of its four economic pillars?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:18): The growth in mining jobs over the course of this government has been huge.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: They went from four mines to four mines.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right.

The SPEAKER: I call the minister for mining to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: This has been one of the significant growth areas of the South Australian economy and continues to be—

Honourable members: It was.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: No; it continues to be a very strong growth area for the South Australian economy. They simply misread the data. They misread the data in relation to mining employment in South Australia. There has been very substantial growth in mining employment in South Australia, beyond the obvious—the growth from four to 20 mines. Beyond the fact that there have been dramatic expansions in a number of our existing mines, there continues to be, not only in the direct mining jobs, an explosion of growth in jobs in the mining services sector. This is—sadly for those opposite, because they love to seize on bad news—actually a good news story for the South Australian economy. We are not—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, simply, I don't accept your analysis. We are also seeking to learn the lessons that exist from other mining jurisdictions. We know that mining employment in itself is a small part of the equation of the opportunities that exist in the mining sector. One of the reasons that we have chosen to make that a key priority—ensuring that we realise the benefits of the increase in mining activity for all South Australians—is because we want to ensure that the benefits are shared more equally across this state. The way to do that is to ensure that we have a strong mining services industry in South Australia. That is one of the reasons why in the budget we invested in partnership with BHP and Santos—

Mr Venning interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is warned a second time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: We invested with BHP and Santos in a mining services centre of excellence so that we can grow the technologies that will allow us to exploit the natural resources that we have in our state. Just recently, we have seen some incredibly exciting projects being announced in South Australia, such as the partnership between Beach and Chevron, a $350 million investment in the Cooper Basin, to unlock the huge opportunities associated with the shale gas resource that exists in the north of our state. We have seen BP make arrangements for a $600 million drilling rig to be brought into the Great Australian Bight in South Australian territory to allow them to explore the natural resources that exist in that area. These are decisions made—

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order, sir. I ask you to bring the Premier back to the substance of the question and ask him to explain how all this relates to the job losses which have actually taken place.

The SPEAKER: The member for Stuart, if the leader asks a question about job losses, I interpret jobs as being the substance of the question and germane, and one cannot, under standing orders, prevent the Premier from talking about jobs that have been created. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. In the last 12 months between May 2012 and May 2013, in relation to mining employment, jobs actually grew, so contrary to—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Bragg is on thin ice.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I do not know where the honourable member gets his briefing but, after question time, I invite him to come back into the house and clarify for the house that he has in fact misled the house in relation to these matters. In fact, mining employment grew—

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Mrs REDMOND: The Premier just accused the leader of misleading the house, and to do so, he has to do so by substantive motion, surely.

The SPEAKER: Premier, did you impute that the leader had misled the house?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Yes, I did, sir.

The SPEAKER: You should withdraw that.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I withdraw that and say that the honourable member gave information to the house which is inaccurate, because in fact between May 2012 and May 2013, mining employment grew. The change of growth was in fact 13.9 per cent, so instead of it falling, mining employment actually grew over the last year. He comes into this place, consistently seeking to mislead the community—and I would go out and get a briefing as well, if I were you.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order! Again the Premier has accused the Leader of the Opposition of misleading the house. After withdrawing it, now he has done it again, in complete defiance.

The SPEAKER: I did not hear the word 'mislead'. Am I mistaken?

Ms CHAPMAN: 'Again coming into the house to mislead the house,' or words to that effect.

Members interjecting:

Ms CHAPMAN: 'Mislead' was clearly in there, and he knows that.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The rule is against misleading the house; it is not against misleading the public or the community or some other body, but I would caution the Premier not to impute that any member of the house misled, and I would ask him to refrain from that imputation.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Mr Speaker, the word 'misleading' seems to offend so I will—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Maybe if we could take you back to the numbers: between May 2012 and May 2013, mining employment actually grew by 13.9 per cent. The premise of the question is, 'Why have we been presiding over a reduction in mining employment?' when actually mining employment was growing over the relevant 12-month period.

The SPEAKER: The Premier's time has expired. The member for Torrens.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT