A HIGH level taskforce has been set up to ensure South Australia capitalises on a resource sector that is moving rapidly from exploration to extraction.
Minister for Mineral Resources Development Paul Holloway said the new Resources and Energy Sectors Infrastructure Council (RESIC) has been established to plan and develop viable, fit-for-purpose infrastructure to support mining operations in South Australia.
“A focussed group of senior resource sector executives and public servants, this group will identify the issues and plan the way forward in what is an absolutely crucial sector for SA,” Holloway says.
“The provision of infrastructure for this sector needs to be planned and implemented strategically if South Australians are to enjoy the maximum benefits.”
RESIC will operate through the Office of Major Projects and Infrastructure within the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure (DTEI).
South Australia’s Strategic Plan sets a target of $4 billion for production and processing of mineral resources by 2014, with proper planning the key to meeting and possibly exceeding that goal.
The establishment of RESIC was recommended by the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy and supported by the Parliamentary Natural Resources Committee, PIRSA, DTEI and the Department for Trade and Economic Development.
“The Government has listened and responded to the industry and is pleased to be able to work pro-actively with the SA Chamber of Mines and Energy and industry on this key initiative,” Holloway says.
“This is a way of harnessing some of the extensive expertise among those within the South Australian public sector and from a highly successful private sector and should provide some innovative planning ideas and practical solutions to the future infrastructure needs of the resource sector. ”
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