Business SA calls for boom SOUTH Australia missed its opportunity to play a major role in the last mining boom and now that our economy is at the cross roads, it is critical we take full advantage of our natural resources. As the debate continues as to whether Governments should subsidise auto-manufacturing, and the defence sector's future hinges on Federal Government funding decisions, what is becoming clear is the need for South Australia to foster industries such as mining, food production and food & beverage manufacturing which are not reliant on Government support. Only when we can grow industries which don't involve Government intervention can our economy be truly in charge of its own destiny. One of the biggest opportunities for South Australia's mining sector is the development of shale gas reserves, particularly in the remote Cooper Basin. There is approximately 100,000 Petajoules of shale gas in the Cooper Basin which is quite significant considering South Australia only consumes 100 Petajoules of natural gas per annum while Australia as a whole consumes 1000 Petajoules per annum. Further, one of the biggest advantages of the Cooper Basin is the fact that extensive infrastructure is already in place to transport gas both to domestic customers or potential export customers via Queensland. Business SA is aware of the pending gas price rises which are already starting to impact upon large manufacturers in South Australia and we are eager to see the South Australian government continue its support to help facilitate development of the Cooper Basin shale gas reserves. We need to do whatever is possible, while taking appropriate steps to protect the environment, to ensure South Australia can increase gas extraction to help offset the looming gas shortage which is set to occur from 2016 as major Queensland LNG export programs begin. While the opportunities for mining in South Australia are much broader than just gas, what has been frustrating many potential mining projects are the layers of regulatory approvals required at both a State and Federal level. Business SA has been calling for simplification here and welcomes the recent agreement between the Federal Government, New South Wales and Queensland to ensure mining project proponents only need deal with one tier of Government with respect to environmental approvals. Let's hope for our mining sector that a similar agreement can be reached with South Australia. But it's not just the approval process slowing down the mining sector, for South Australia still holds the mantle as the highest business taxing State and Business SA is calling for major tax reform, particularly with respect to payroll tax which is a direct tax on jobs. We are also deeply concerned that WorkCover premiums are still about twice the national average and recent rises of up to 25% are really hurting businesses at a time they can least afford it. So we must dig deep and do whatever it takes to ensure that South Australia booms and not busts.