Select Committee on Land Access

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (11:40): I will say a few short words in response to the Chair of the committee in his outlining the report, both as a country and outback member of parliament and as the Minister for Energy and Mining. I am very pleased to hear that the committee found that the reforms our government put in place on 1 January this year are recognised as a significant improvement and also that there is more work to do, because that is 100 per cent in line with the comments that I have made publicly as minister, the comments I have made publicly as a country member of parliament and the work that our Department for Energy and Mining has been doing.

We have consistently said that we would make improvements, essentially in bite-size chunks, to deal with what can be dealt with, put it in place and then move on and deal with the next set, put it in place; the next set, put it in place. While the report has only just been made public 10 or 15 minutes ago, so I have not had a chance to read it, it does seem that the committee's recommendations are largely in line with exactly what our Department for Energy and Mining and our government are doing anyway, which is good.

I have no doubt that when the committee members and members of this house more broadly become aware of the work that we have been doing in regard to the next set of reforms, subsequent to the very positive ones that we put in place on 1 January 2021, and it is able to see the fantastic work the Department for Energy and Mining has done, those members who contributed to this report will be very satisfied with the progress that is already underway and work that was being done on behalf of landholders and the resources industry to take another very positive step forward for both of them.