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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-07-16 Daily Xml
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30-YEAR PLAN FOR GREATER ADELAIDE

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (15:01): My question is to the Minister for Mineral Resources Development. Can the minister provide any information about the prospects for mining and jobs in South Australia, and how will this be accommodated through the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:01): I thank the honourable member for her question, which also touches on my responsibilities as Minister for Urban Development and Planning.

The 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide lays the foundations for strong economic growth in the state that will ensure we continue to attract working-age people to South Australia and encourage young South Australians to remain here rather than head interstate. The 30-year plan sets a target of creating 282,000 additional jobs during the next three decades, and these new jobs will require net growth of at least 2 million square metres of extra employment floor space, including 2,580 hectares of specialist employment land.

This rapid rate of growth requires a strategy that encourages business clusters such as Greater Edinburgh Parks, the Techport at Osborne, and Mawson Lakes Technology Park. These clusters are to be strategically located around Adelaide's key transport infrastructure, such as road, rail, air and sea terminals. By setting targets for high employment growth, the plan then locates these jobs where there is sufficient land available for commercial, industrial, retail, primary production, mining and other activities.

This government also wants to make the most of Adelaide's existing infrastructure to concentrate jobs within transit corridors. The 30-year plan also ensures adequate access to known mineral deposits and restricts land subdivisions to maintain viable and productive agricultural activity. The plan also sets aside 23,200 hectares of land for mineral extraction, protects primary and secondary freight corridors, and ensures appropriate buffer zones between mining activities and residential areas. Some of these issues will be addressed in amendments to the Mining Act that I hope to bring before parliament when we resume after the winter break.

Seven years ago South Australia was home to four operating mines; this year we will have 11, with that number to grow next year to 16. It would be disappointing if the millions of dollars of investment in exploration and the construction of new mines did not lead to greater regional employment and more jobs in the city. This government wants to make Adelaide the main focus for peak support services for the mining industry that will discourage fly-in/fly-out arrangements to other capital cities, as well as create an additional 670 mining jobs within the Greater Adelaide region.

As members know, this government has been encouraging OZ Minerals to relocate its offices from Victoria to Adelaide in recognition that its major asset, Prominent Hill, is here in South Australia. Similarly, it wants to encourage other mining and energy companies to set up regional bases in this state. The government also wants to create a specialist minerals precinct in the metropolitan area to encourage mining companies to locate their administrative and support functions in Adelaide. I was heartened to read last week that the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy welcomed this proposal, and I will be speaking to many of the stakeholders—including SACOME, PIRSA, and the South Australian Minerals and Petroleum Expert Group—during the next three month consultation period to identify the best location for such a specialist precinct.

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