The Hon. Stephen Patterson, Shadow Minister for Energy and Mining (SA); The Hon. Nicola Centofanti, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries and Regional South Australia, Joint Media Release, 26 November 2025

The Liberal Opposition has listened to the concerns of regional landowners, farmers and stakeholders and have successfully moved significant amendments to Labor’s ill-conceived Statutes Amendment (Energy and Mining Reforms) Bill 2025 (SA).

Labor had attempted to force the Bill through Parliament, which would have seen farmers indefinitely unable to access their own land.

The Opposition has successfully changed the Bill to cap extensions on the existing 18 year exploration licence to 2 years, whereas Labor wanted 5-year extensions repeated indefinitely.

They also included the requirement for the Minister to get an independent agricultural impact assessment done before awarding an extension, and another requirement for the Minister to consult with a landowner if an extension is to be granted.

The Opposition’s sensible amendments, carried through the Upper House, are a win for primary producers who were facing uncertainty that would have affected their ability to plan crops, manage biosecurity risks, and approach farm succession planning.

Shadow Minister for Energy and Mining, Stephen Patterson, said that Labor rammed this Bill through after a mere five days’ consultation and zero engagement with the agricultural sector.

“Under Labor’s rushed and ill-conceived Bill, landholders would have been exposed to indefinite exploration uncertainty and Minister’s running rough shot over transparency and accountability with licences being allowed to be transferred without even notifying the landholder.” Mr Patterson said.

“Labor’s Bill failed to provide any real balancing of interests between industry and primary producers, which is why we introduced amendments to bring fairness, respect and balance back into the process.”

Shadow Minister for Primary Industries and Regional South Australia, Nicola Centofanti, said regional landowners, farmers and stakeholders have made it clear that this Bill creates unacceptable uncertainty across our farming communities, and that the Liberal Party had no choice but to amend the bill.

“The fact that primary producers and the industry bodies that represent them were unable to take part in the Minister’s rushed 5 day consultation process in the middle of harvest is unacceptable, and today we spoke out on their behalf,” Dr Centofanti said.

Our amendments are practical, reasonable and essential, and ensure primary producers are not sidelined or steamrolled in the process.

“The ability to extend exploration licences indefinitely is simply untenable. Our regions and our farmers deserve respect, proper consultation and genuine consideration of agricultural impacts. The SA Liberals have listened, we have acted, and we will not give Labor a free pass to trample the people who put food on our tables.”

“If the Government will not accept these essential amendments in the House of Assembly, then we cannot in good conscience support the Bill.”