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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
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PORT PIRIE SMELTING FACILITY (LEAD-IN-AIR CONCENTRATIONS) BILL

Referred to Select Committee

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Small Business) (15:38): I bring up the final report of the select committee, together with minutes of proceedings and evidence.

Report received and ordered to be published.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: I move:

That the final report be noted.

Motion carried.

Third Reading

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Small Business) (15:39): I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Most of what needs to be said has been said. In the event that Nyrstar decides to proceed with this development with the rejuvenation of the lead smelter, it will be a great result for Port Pirie, but also on many levels—economically, of course—it will be a wonderful thing with regard to the health of the community.

I think the introduction of new technology and processes will automatically reduce lead-in-air emissions, and I think, in combination with the targeted lead abatement program that is proposed as part of this process and in fact is already underway, we will see a significant reduction in lead-in-blood levels in the community, which of course is an excellent result. I do not think it would happen without the rejuvenation of the smelter. Without this development, it would be a lot harder to do that and maintain all the economic benefits at the same time. I am very pleased to see that occurring.

Just briefly, I would like to thank a number of people who have been involved in this process, particularly Mr Bruce Carter for his negotiations with Nyrstar around the assistance package, numerous departmental staff from DMITRE and Health, the Olympic Dam Task Force and the EPA, particularly Dr Paul Heithersay, and representatives of Nyrstar, who spent a great deal of time on this. For their hospitality and enthusiasm for the project, I would like to thank the people of Port Pirie for their interest in the project. I was up there for a public meeting; it was very well attended and there was an earnest desire to make sure that all of their questions were asked and, on our part, that they were answered. It was an excellent forum and they were very generous hosts. Thank you also to the member for Frome who has lobbied consistently and heavily for this project—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: Patience, grasshopper. I think Hansard should note the member for West Torrens coughing. I would like to thank members of the select committee for their time, particularly the member for West Torrens who started this whole process and without whom we would not be here.

Often, as ministers, you come into a place and you get to do something off your own bat and see it through, and often you do not. Often you will come in and you will start something about which you are very enthusiastic and you may push the limits, but you might be particularly enthusiastic about something and not get the chance to complete that work. I think, in this case, the member for West Torrens, the former minister for manufacturing, innovation and trade, was very passionate and a strong supporter of this project. I am very proud to be able to continue that work, but he should be acknowledged as having been involved right from the very start.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: The father of Port Pirie.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: I don't know if you will get father of Port Pirie. Perhaps just leave a blank spot there, Hansard, and the member for West Torrens will come up and fill in the relevant bits for you. I would like to thank the member for Waite for assisting with the speedy passage of the bill through the house, and I would also like to particularly thank my personal staff who are both hardworking and also patient when they have to put up with me. With those words, I commend the bill to the house and I look forward to the contributions of any other members.

Mr BROCK (Frome) (15:43): I also would like to speak on the select committee report and thank everybody who has been involved with this. As I said the other day when debating the motion, I have been involved in this for a long time, and it has been a very important issue not only for me but for the people of Port Pirie and the region. There are three issues here: the economic viability of Port Pirie and the security of employment; the health of our children, which is very important; and the health of the community of Port Pirie which we must not forget.

Without a new process there and a new plant, I dare say that Nyrstar would look very seriously at whether it could maintain the conditions required under the licence and, as a result, reduce the level of lead in the blood of our children, which is very important. We also must remember the health of our community in general, because it has been a big, long trek here, and I am glad it has got this far. I cannot wait for Nyrstar to do the business plan, to actually make the final decision which would then give back economic confidence and viability to the community of Port Pirie and the region, of course.

There has been help and assistance from many people, as minister Kenyon has already indicated. A lot of people have been involved with this over a long period of time, and I would like to sincerely thank those people, starting with the Premier. The Premier was good enough to listen to my concerns at the start when Nyrstar first went to him. Minister Koutsantonis was also very supportive, and I really appreciate his help and guidance—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Father of Port Pirie.

Mr BROCK: Father of Port Pirie. Also minister Kenyon, with the change of ministerial positions, came up and took it on board very well. There have been many people involved with this. I have to give credit to: Mr Bruce Carter who has been very vigilant with this, and it has been a hard slog; Dr Paul Heithersay, Chief Executive of the Olympic Dam Taskforce and others, and his associated members; all the departmental people who have been involved with us over the couple of years; Nyrstar themselves for great dedication, including the people from Zurich who came out on numerous occasions to talk to not only the state government but also the federal government; and also the EPA for this involvement and their guidance.

As I indicated before, without this new plant I believe it would be very hard to achieve the result we want for the lead in blood reductions for our community. In closing, I also mention and thank the member for Waite. We had quite a few meetings regarding this and we understand that this is above politics; it was about ensuring that we get the best result for Port Pirie, and I believe he is still going through the select committee's findings. Also, again I thank the people of Port Pirie and the region for their dedication, their resilience, and their patience with us, and I am hoping for a good result. I commend the bill.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (15:46): Again, congratulations to all sides on the completion of this process. The process now rests with Nyrstar, and I think it will do the right thing. I want to point out to the parliament the assets we have at our fingertips in our Public Service: Dr Paul Heithersay, Associate Professor Rob Thomas, Deputy Crown Solicitor, Gaby Jaksa, and, of course, it is also important to note the work of Mr Bruce Carter who led this taskforce. They were established basically to get Olympic Dam through its approval processes. We used that expertise, that know-how, that get-the-job-done mentality into Nyrstar, and to solve this problem, to nut out this problem of Port Pirie and Nyrstar.

As far as I am concerned that office in conjunction with—and I say humbly—my staff, Robert Malinauskas, Owen Brown, and the rest of my office, who worked diligently to try and get that work done, and the officers who worked within the Olympic Dam taskforce who were assigned to this Nyrstar project, represent the very best that this state has to offer. I often say, and I do not say it enough, I really wish South Australians at home knew the tireless efforts that some of their public servants put in to keeping this state moving forward and giving them prosperity.

The people of Port Pirie owe their local member of parliament a great deal of gratitude. They owe their local mayor, Mr Brenton Vanstone, a huge debt of gratitude and their city manager a great deal of gratitude, and they owe Nyrstar a huge debt of gratitude. But in the end we did all of this work for that tiny town—not tiny in size, not tiny in ambition, but sometimes forgotten. This proves that this government will not let Port Pirie go quietly into the night. I congratulate the minister on his work and the way in which he has been able to carry this through the parliament.

I know I am making some assumptions but he and the member for Waite have an excellent working relationship which will make this bill pass very smoothly. I congratulate all involved and thank them, because we have done the state's business today, and I think all South Australians would be proud of everyone who worked on this process. Unfortunately those public servants are not here to take the accolades that they deserve.

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:49): Sometimes I am in full agreement with the member for West Torrens, and I think there are some very fine public servants, and I will even say there are some very good people working in government offices around the place. If that was universal we would have a great state of affairs. But this is certainly a matter which the opposition fully supports.

The member for Waite in particular is urgently detained on parliamentary business elsewhere. As shadow minister he has full support for the project, full support for the bill, and he has asked me to express his appreciation to the staff of the department, the other agencies and everyone who has been involved in bringing this matter forward and dealing with it so quickly. It has, as has been said, bipartisan support. The member for Goyder also served on the committee, and he will speak for himself in a moment. The opposition fully supports this bill. We understand its importance for Port Pirie—is health, its environment and its economy—and that is why the Liberal Party is very pleased to support the third reading of this bill.

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:50): I also have had the great privilege to serve on the select committee and to have been involved in some of the briefings on it, so in a very small way I can appreciate the fine words of the member for West Torrens and the member for Newland about the level of commitment that has been shown. It is obvious to me, as a person who lives in the region and who knows it from an outside perspective, but who has some involvement in Port Pirie, how important this project is to the town and the region.

There is no doubt that there has been ongoing discussion in this area for several years. There has been a commitment to try to make it work while respecting the needs of the EPA for its compliance requirements that it puts in place and for the health of the community. There are some associated challenges with that, with a $350 million project and potentially up to a $150 million indemnity being provided by the South Australian parliament and the people of South Australia, but this is overwhelmingly a good idea, there is absolutely no doubt.

To bring into one of our regional centres some world leading technology that will allow a 30-year, at minimum, lifespan to continue in this industry, and what it does for Port Pirie and how it plays out its importance around the world, is great. There has been a level of creativity attached to this in providing a solution that others might not have chosen, so I commend the government and what it has done here. I look forward to the swift passage of this bill and, God, I hope that early next year we will get good advice from Nyrstar's board in Europe that the investment will take place, that the infrastructure is there and the community continues to prosper.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Small Business) (15:52): As he sat down, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure slapped his hand to his forehead having forgotten to mention Mr Nick Antonopoulos and record his thanks, but I do so now on behalf of the government. With those words, I commend the bill to the house.

Bill read a third time and passed.

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