David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank Senator Farrell for persisting on behalf of his state in what is a very important matter. I share his concerns. Indeed, may I say that I shared his concerns for some long time before the last election. I need to tell him—not in a castigating political way—that the Hawke review was completed in 2011. For two years my predecessor, the Labor Party's defence minister, sat on this file and did nothing. We were to have a hearing in a Senate committee and, Senator, the non-coalition members of that committee deferred the hearing prior to the last election. I hope that this bill will go through on the voices.

I was responsible for referring the legislation to the committee. The reasons I did that will shortly be obvious to the senator when I tell him that there are a number of South Australian potential and current land users on that very large area that are vitally affected by this legislation. Defence has, as you well know, a chequered history on consultation. Senator Fifield, on 12 December, indicated that the legislation was in the process of being prepared in an amended version for the autumn sittings of 2014. The government is taking account of consultation with stakeholders to finalise that legislation. The amended legislation is very close to completion and a number of points of particular concern to the South Australian and Northern Territory governments are being resolved. These are important concerns, Senator. Coming from Western Australia as I do, I want mining in South Australia in a big way. I am surprised and horrified that for generations parliamentarians—