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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-14 Daily Xml
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EXCELLENCE IN MINING AND EXPLORATION CONFERENCE

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources Development. Is the minister aware that the Excellence in Mining and Exploration Conference was recently held in Sydney, and is he able to provide any advice on the winning entrants of the coveted industry awards announced at the conference?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:44): Yes, I am aware of the Excellence in Mining and Exploration Conference held in Sydney and, in particular, the national awards for excellence. I am delighted to inform honourable members that Dominion Mining Ltd was successful in winning this year's prestigious national award for Excellence in Production.

All of the staff at Dominion Mining Ltd should be congratulated for being awarded the 2009 Excellence in Production award. Dominion Mining is, indeed, a worthy recipient of the award, and it should be justifiably proud of its production record, especially when you consider the calibre of its fellow category nominees, that is, Newcrest, Cadia Valley, Norseman Gold, and Atlas Iron.

I commend Dominion Mining Ltd for its work on the Challenger gold mine in particular. This mine is an excellent example of how South Australia's resources sector continues to set world's best standards in mining. Challenger was the first major gold mine in 100 years to open in South Australia when it began production in 2002. Located about 740 kilometres north-west of Adelaide, this remote mine is a tribute to Dominion's persistence, planning and management. The Challenger gold mine is unique, because it is in an area that has no other nearby mining activity and no previous mining history.

The successful development of the mine has been possible only because Dominion held the belief that the region has significant economic potential. I also hasten to add that the South Australian government played a role in the establishment of the Challenger mine. Government drilling programs began in the north-west Gawler Craton in 1991 with the exploration sparking significant interest. Dominion began exploring in the craton in 1993, and the Challenger anomaly was found in 1995.

The Excellence in Production award was presented to Dominion Mining for discovering 560,283 ounces of gold from the start of production at the Challenger goldmine up to 30 June 2009. This output was produced at an average operating cost of $US357 per ounce. I think gold is now over the $US1,000 mark, or it is certainly close, so you can see that it has been a very profitable venture.

The Hon. D.G.E. Hood: It's $1,050.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: It was $1,050 this morning, so it has been a very profitable venture. The annual National Mining Awards organised by Resourceful Events are a standout function on the resource sector calendar, giving the industry time to reflect on and recognise the past year's achievements.

While Dominion's success has significance for South Australia, I should take this opportunity to acknowledge the other winners. In respect of Excellence in Frontier Exploration, the winner was Perseus Mining; for Excellence in New Technology, it was Rio Tinto; for Excellence in Discovery, it was Ivanhoe Mine's Merlin Project; for Excellence in Corporate Transacting, the winner was Origin Energy; for Excellence in Growth, it was Extract Resources; and for Excellence in Operations and Mine Management, it was Newcrest, Cadia Valley.

As this state continues to tap its mining potential, I hope that there will be other successes both at national and international level for our resource companies. The number of operating mines has increased from four to 11 in the 7½ years since this government came to office and introduced the plan for accelerating exploration. A further five to six mines are in the pipeline, including the Centrex Metals project at Wilgerup and Four Mile at Beverley.

With that growing list of prospects, I suspect South Australia's chances of sharing in the honours at the next Excellence in Mining and Exploration awards will improve as we increase our state's role as an important producer and exporter of minerals.

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