[Greens-Media] PARNELL: BHP: Jump! SA Govt: How High?…..for 4 more years

[Parnell]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	
Tuesday 13th November 2012

BHP: Jump!   SA Govt: How High?
…..for 4 more years   

The Greens will move in Parliament to stop any extension of the Olympic Dam Expansion Indenture Agreement.

The Weatherill Government has agreed to an extension of the starting date for the project in the controversial contract until October 2016.

“The Indenture was a dud deal for South Australia when we debated this in Parliament last year, and will still be a dud deal in 4 years’ time,” said Greens Parliamentary Leader Mark Parnell.

“Instead of again meekly accepting whatever the world’s richest resource company wants, the Government should seize the opportunity to start renegotiating terms to expand local procurement, increase royalty returns and improve environmental outcomes.

“The project appears years away.  Yet, the Government has recklessly locked in last century environmental outcomes decades into the future.

“BHP Billiton appears to be moving further and further away from job-rich local processing, and yet has still managed to lock in a feeble ‘production based’ royalty rate for 45 years.

 “Surely it would be better to finalise the Olympic Dam Expansion contract with BHP Billiton when the project is actually guaranteed to begin?  

“That will ensure royalty rates, local processing and procurement targets and environmental conditions are based on the expectations, rules and operating conditions of the day, not locked in years ahead,” he said.
  

For further comment contact Craig Wilkins on 0434 007 893