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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-05-07 Daily Xml
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Mineral and Energy Resources

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. Can the minister update the house on the progress of implementing the government's economic objective to unlock the full potential of South Australia's resources, energy and renewable assets?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:50): I want to thank the member for his question and for his continued support for the mineral resources and energy sectors as a long-term growth engine for our economy. Unlocking the full potential of South Australia's resources, energy and renewable assets is one of our top economic priorities set out by the Premier in his vision for our state.

On this side of the chamber, we are striving to make South Australia a place where people in business thrive. We have set a bold agenda that takes stock of what we are doing now in this state to achieve that priority, as well as setting out in a clear and transparent manner what we expect to achieve in the next stage. By setting a priority and then providing objectives, the government is able to develop a policy agenda that supports those goals. That is because we are a government that believes in providing the South Australian public with policies and not platitudes. It is also because we understand that investors crave certainty when making business decisions. They want to know that the government isn't just there during the good times, but is able to articulate a policy that looks beyond the cycle to the long-term outlook.

Developing and then announcing policies are only the first steps in this process. Standing accountable for the progress of its implementation is a critical element in building public and business confidence. So, when I am asked to provide an update on the implementation of our economic policies and objectives, I am delighted to point to solid progress in just a few short months. This government committed to building a world-class resource precinct at Tonsley, with the relocated State Drill Core Reference Library the centrepiece of this proposal. I am delighted to say that a managing contractor has been appointed, and land preparation site works have been completed. Construction began in January on this $32.2 million project, and I look forward to its official opening early next year.

The government has committed a further $4 million over four years to expand and modernise our globally recognised Plan for Accelerating Exploration. PACE funding has helped support major geophysical surveys, including mapping the southern Eucla Basin and the Coompana anomaly. PACE has also funded the latest round of the Discovery Drilling Program. At the recent South Australian Resources & Energy Investment Conference, I announced that 27 resource exploration projects will share $2 million in grants as part of that program. The Discovery Drilling Program co-funds drilling projects to support the next crop of greenfield discoveries in this state that allows us to share in the financial and technical risk of exploration.

Last December, we ran the first pilot training program for the industry-developed curriculum of the new Onshore Petroleum Centre of Excellence. I am happy to say that the centre opened this year, and its first group of trainees began the inaugural training course in February. These are only a few of the milestones that we have passed on the road to achieving this economic priority of unlocking our resource assets, and I look forward to further updating the house of progress in the months and years ahead.

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