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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-04-01 Daily Xml
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COPPER COAST DISTRICT COUNCIL

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK (16:10): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning questions about the Dunes development and the Copper Coast council.

Leave granted.

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK: Members would no doubt be aware of the Greg Norman $250 million Dunes development at Port Hughes on the Copper Coast and the proposed associated desalination plant. I have been informed of mounting concern amongst residents in this area about the lack of consultation by the council, the fact that there may not be an environmental impact assessment for the desalination plant, and the general impact of such a large development on this community. Requests to hold a public forum about the development have been turned down by the council.

The community's misgivings have been added to by growing concerns about the relationship between the council and the developer. The former CEO of the council, John Shane, is a director of Quickview, the developer of the Dunes project. The former general manager of infrastructure and environmental services, Roly Kavanagh, recently went to work for Quickview as the site manager. There are reports that other council staff are working for Quickview. One of the councillors, Graham Hancock, is a consultant for the developer.

The mayor and deputy mayor have been asked to step down from the development assessment panel by another council member. Councillor Tommy Tonkin was reported in the Yorke Peninsula Country Times as having called for their resignations because he believes that routine discussions between the mayor and deputy mayor and the developers conflict with the code of conduct established under section 21A of the Development Act, a provision that some of us in this chamber tried to oppose in 2006 because it stipulates that DAP members can hold discussions with developers only at DAP meetings or as DAP members. My questions are:

1. Does the minister acknowledge the difficulties created for small councils in dealing with large developments such as the Dunes project?

2. Is the minister aware of the concerns in the Copper Coast about the relationship between the council and the developers?

3. Does the minister agree that the council's consideration of any major developments will be seen as compromised?

4. Will the minister declare the Dunes and associated developments a major development to ensure an independent and transparent assessment process?

5. Because many seaside councils are struggling to deal with developments associated with the sea change phenomenon, will the minister initiate a development plan amendment for the entire South Australian coastline to protect the environment and community character from insensitive development?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police, Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning) (16:13): There are a number of questions there. I think the first question the honourable member asked was in relation to the difficulties she foresees in relation to this project. The Copper Coast council is the approving authority under the Development Act but, in relation to any development that has an environmental impact, I assume that will be subject to the relevant approval of the state authority such as the EPA or the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation. However, I will seek information as to what other form of approval is required.

I think the second question the honourable member asked is whether I am aware of complaints. I am aware that there is some community opposition to this project, but I am not aware of any specific complaints. However, I will look at the points raised by the honourable member and investigate that. As I said, often, from time to time, people will oppose decisions made by development authorities, be they the council, the DAC or even any other authority, and that is not unusual for larger projects. However, in relation to specific allegations about members of the panel, I will look at those and ensure they are investigated now that they have been raised by the honourable member.

In relation to the first question that the honourable member asked me, about small councils in general having difficulties in dealing with large projects, that may well be true. However, if those smaller councils cannot handle a project because of its size, they have the opportunity to seek that it be handled by the Development Assessment Commission or in some other way. In this case, obviously, the council believed that it was capable of handling this proposal.

The honourable member asked another question related to that, in terms of a major project. I am not aware at this stage of any grounds on which that would be done. The honourable member specifically referred to the desalination plant and, as I said, I would expect that that would be assessed with the advice from the appropriate government authority. However, I will investigate that matter and ensure that it will be adequately addressed in some manner during the approval process.

With respect to the final question, the government was obviously well aware of issues in relation to coastal development. The Hon. Mark Parnell has asked a number of questions about that, and I know that the Environment, Resources and Development Committee has been looking at these issues. What I can say is that, through the Better Development Plan process, the government is ensuring that, when councils go through their development plan, those councils with coastal areas incorporate the relevant modules of the Better Development Plan.

Of course, with respect to specific issues, such as Eyre Peninsula, we will also be working with those councils. Already a number of them have adopted revised development plans to give better protection to coastal areas and I am sure that, when the government responds to the Environment, Resources and Development Committee report, further information will be provided in relation to what the government intends to do about such developments. So, we are certainly well aware of these issues. In relation to the Dunes development at the Copper Coast, I will look at the matters raised by the honourable member and see whether any further action is necessary, and I will respond in due course.

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