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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-30 Daily Xml
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Mineral and Energy Resources

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:38): A supplementary, sir.

The SPEAKER: Before we go to the supplementary I call to order, and warn for the first time, the member for Kavel; I call to order the members for MacKillop, Davenport and Mitchell; and I warn for the first time the member for Adelaide and the deputy leader and, if I have not already warned him, the member for Unley. Leader.

Mr MARSHALL: Thank you, sir. Does the Treasurer and the government stand by their commitment to the people of South Australia, their promise to the people of South Australia, to increase the value of our mineral and energy resources production to $10 billion and to create an additional 5,000 jobs by the end of next year?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:39): We will do all we can to encourage—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I give the leader a lot of scope to bellow at the government, but I am—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Something like that, yes.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We aspire to see a larger investment in the resources sector in South Australia. Through our unconventional oil and gas sectors, we want to make sure that the Otway Basin is fully explored, we want to make sure that people in the Cooper Basin get the investment that they need, we want to make sure that Arrium can export more iron ore, we want to see Iron Road grow its deposits, we want to see Olympic Dam expanded, we want to see Carrapateena develop. We want to see South Australia take its rightful place amongst the titans of mining and we will do all we can to do that.

What we will not do is vote to establish parliamentary inquiries that stifle investment. What we will not do is attack the resources sector, and what we also will not do is behind closed doors do everything we can with the Greens to try to stop access to farmland, to explore resources, a right to farm—the guilty party, the party that wants to stop mining, the party that has more in common with the Greens than it has with Sir Thomas Playford. No wonder he looks down at them all so disapprovingly.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Was that a point of order or just an exclamation?

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Standing order 98, sir: the minister is debating the substance of the question.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I think you are right. I uphold the point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We aspire to become a mining state. We aspire to grow our mining sector—

An honourable member: How's that going?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: How's that going? I will tell you what we are not doing. We are not out there trying to stop investment. I will tell you what else we did. We took a mining policy to the last state election. We took a resources policy to the last state election. Even the Greens had a resources policy at the last election. They want to stop it. We know that one was drafted. We know that one was ready, but who did not want to take it to the election? Who did not want to announce that resources policy at the last election?

Any politician who tells you they can control commodity prices is not being honest. We are giving every opportunity for our resources sector to grow. We are giving them every opportunity to invest. We are lowering taxes. We give them long-term security with indentures. We use regulatory processes. We have very little red tape for the mining industry. We are held in high regard by the industry, nationally and internationally, and they are all worried about one thing: the Leader of the Opposition ever becoming premier of this state, because they know what those karaoke weekends with the Greens mean. They know what all their karaoke with the Greens means, all that whispering in his ear about the dangers of fracking, the dangers of uranium. When we talked about the royal commission, who were the two people who opposed it? Christopher Pyne and the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Pengilly: You are a fool.

The SPEAKER: The member for Finniss will withdraw and apologise.

Mr PENGILLY: I withdraw and apologise, sir.

Mr Griffiths interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Goyder is called to order. The member for Mitchell.

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