Select Committee established into Land Access

I report that on 2 March 2021 in the House of Assembly, a Motion was successfully passed to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee to inquire into and report on land access regimes as they relate to mining and mining exploration under the Mining Act 1971, the Opal Mining Act 1995 and the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act 2000.

I was pleased to support the motion having long advocated for improved frameworks on land access to mitigate the conflict between farming and mining, and am honoured to have been appointed by the House to serve as a member of the Select Committee.

As the Member for Narungga, I have met with many local farmers over the last three  years who have relayed their direct experience of the reality of dealing with mining companies seeking to explore and mine their cropping land.

In the course of my research work over the past two years into potential avenues to better balance the competing interests of mining and agriculture – sectors that are both economically vital to South Australia -- I believe there is legislative precedent in interstate and international jurisdictions that warrants further investigation. This Select Committee will undertake this work.

I look forward to seeing what this Select Committee can accomplish and I am excited to serve on it.

I encourage landowners and local stakeholders to have their say to the Select Committee.

Soon advertisements will be placed in regional newspapers and on social media advising how to provide submissions, and there will also be meetings scheduled across regional areas, including one on Yorke Peninsula.

The Terms of Reference for the Select Committee on Land Access are as follows:

 To inquire into and report on: 

a) Land access regimes as they relate to mining and mining exploration under the

Mining Act 1971, the Opal Mining Act 1995 and the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy

Act 2000;

b) Such operations of the Department for Energy and Mining as may relate to, or be

affected by, land access regimes;

(c)  The practices of interstate and overseas jurisdictions as they relate to balancing

the rights of landowners and those seeking to access land in order to explore for or

exploit minerals, precious stones or regulated substances;

d) Administrative and legislative options that may help achieve a best practice model

in South Australia that balances the rights of landowners and those seeking to access

land to explore for or exploit minerals, precious stones or regulated substances;

 (e) Measures that should be implemented to achieve a best practice model in South

Australia that balances the rights of landowners and those seeking to access land to

explore for or exploit minerals, precious stones or regulated substances (to the extent

that such measures are not being addressed through existing programs or initiatives);

and

(f) Any other related matter.

The Select Committee comprises the following members:

• Member for Frome, Hon. Geoff Brock MP 
• Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis MP 
• Member for Davenport Steve Murray MP
• Member for Flinders Peter Treloar MP
• Member for West Torrens the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis MP (Shadow Minister for Energy and Mining)
• Member for Giles Eddie Hughes MP