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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-10-30 Daily Xml
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MINERAL AND ENERGY RESOURCES

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (14:42): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. Will the minister inform the house how innovation and certainty have fostered investment across the state's resources sector?

The SPEAKER: If, indeed, they have. The minister for minerals.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:42): Since coming to office, this Labor government has sought to proactively partner with industry and the community to fundamentally transform the state's resources sector. We have reached some important milestones but there is still much more to be done. Already South Australia is regarded as a globally significant producer of gas, copper, uranium, zircon and heavy mineral concentrates.

We also have a strong pipeline of projects under development across a range of commodities, and mineral resources are only part of the picture. Right across the state, an energy revolution is occurring, and it is happening here in South Australia. It promises a renaissance within the oil and gas sector that assures Australia's energy security for decades to come. A year ago the Premier turned the tap on Santos's Moomba-191 shale gas well, a national first. A historic moment, but in a sense we have only just begun to scratch the surface of our state's deep unconventional gas potential.

Meanwhile, we continue to see record investment and production in oil. The South Australian portion of the Cooper Basin now produces more oil than any other onshore Australian basin area and it only trails the commonwealth offshore areas in relation to current oil production—something, I am sure, that all members of the house are exceptionally proud of.

Across South Australia, Santos, Beach Energy, Senex, Chevron, BP, Statoil, Northern Petroleum and others are lining up to expand their business commitments in both onshore and offshore South Australia. Just last week, more than half a billion dollars was committed to offshore exploration as Chevron, Santos and Murphy Australia Oil take up opportunities in our offshore basin. Billions of dollars are being invested in the hunt for oil and gas from Moomba to the Great Australian Bight.

Investment and production both continue to grow throughout the resources and energy sector and this growth has not happened by chance. The development of our state's rich resources sector is the result of hard work—hard work from our department, hard work from our public servants, the hard work of our industry and, most importantly, the hard work of our community. It is one thing to have the resources in the ground, but to develop a strong and robust sector, we must also provide the confidence to invest.

On that score, South Australia was again rated number one by the Mineral Council of Australia's Scorecard of Mining Approval Processes, something we should all be very proud of. In October 2013 the edition of the RESOURCESTOCKS magazine bills us as the number one Australian state for the fourth consecutive year. We also remain a trailblazing state, achieving first on many initiatives. So, we continue to build on that record of innovation.

It was a great pleasure last night to launch the South Australian mining app, a go-to guide for resources in the palms of people's hands. The South Australian mining app builds on our one-stop-shop approach to those looking to invest in our state. It is the first government app of its kind and builds on the innovation and proactive culture within DMITRE. It is yet another great example of making government data freely available through our PACE 2020 initiative, another example of our fine, hard-working public servants who continue to create and innovate as they seek to foster investment and grow the prosperity of our state.

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