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Background Information
In May 2024 the Department for Energy and Mining (DEM) undertook a first of its kind proactive social research study to understand the experiences and attitudes of South Australians who have been impacted by or are concerned about potential impacts from mining and energy industry activities in the region.
The Limestone Coast was selected as the study area for this pilot research approach because it has seen an increase in exploration activities over recent years and is an area with multiple well-established industries, complex social and environmental landscapes, and a critical role to play in the State’s food production and contribution to GDP via farming, forestry, fisheries, and tourism.
Understanding the ability for mining and energy projects to coexist with other industries and in potentially relatively close proximity to established communities will be critical for the state as we transition towards a low carbon future and explore new and more efficient practices in the extractives and petroleum industries.
Methodology
The research included a short online survey that included open-ended and quantitative questions. Community members were also able to submit written comments directly to DEM. Several community members were interviewed face to face or on phone/online video calls.
DEM invited key stakeholders, identified by DEM staff and industry networks, to respond to the survey directly. DEM also advertised online (paid and organic) and in print media. The survey was discussed in local publications and on radio programs in response to organic media interest in the project.
The survey link and related advertising collateral was made available for interested community members and stakeholders to share through their own networks and social media channels. It was live on www.YourSAy.sa.gov.au for 7 weeks (20 May - 8 July 2024).
The research was designed to hear from those community members who had specific interests or concerns about any projects in their area. Respondents were able to self-select, and DEM did not seek out a representative sample as the focus of the research was to uncover who had concerns, and what those concerns were.
Through a mix of online survey completions and one on one interviews we heard from 159 community members from across the Limestone Coast. While this is not a statistically representative sample for the population of the Limestone Coast,
The high level aims of this project were to:
- to ensure community perspective are being heard and responded to.
- to understand whether communities understand their rights and have access to the information they need in relation to these industries.
- to inform DEM’s assessment and regulation teams of how best to regulate projects from a social perspective.
- highlight key issues at play for current operations, and perceived issues from future projects, and cumulative impacts.
- inform DEM on how to strategically design communication, education, and engagement strategies for communities and the state using an evidence-based, social licence to operate and risk communication approach.
- uncover what stakeholders value about their communities and regions, and how mining and energy projects have impacted, or may impact in the future, the things which matter to them.
- to give clear and evidence-based guidance to proponents on what we are expecting them to manage and what we will be regulating against regarding social impacts and community expectations.
Summary of findings
The results demonstrate the issues and concerns of community members, who have been impacted by, or who have concerns about energy or mining activities in their community.
The full Findings Report is available to download:
The research and communication/advertising strategy for the data collection was designed to elicit responses from self-identifying stakeholders and therefore weight responses to those who are concerned/likely to be oppositional. As expected, given the self-selecting nature of the respondents, most respondents were oppositional towards energy and mining projects in their area. When asked to describe their current position on a project of interest, 94% indicated they were oppositional.
More than 92% of survey respondents indicated interest in minerals exploration and mining projects, with a small percentage (4.8%) mentioning natural gas exploration/projects. Therefore, the focus of DEM’s recommendations and commitments is on mineral exploration and mining in the region. However, any operator, regardless of resource type or project stage, should consider the Recommendations and DEM Commitments when making decisions about their projects.
Key concerns raised by community were:
| Issues | Mentions - % of total sample |
|---|---|
| Impacts on farming and other pre-existing industries | 60 |
| Potential for unforeseen/irreversible damage | 36 |
| Lack of trust in rehabilitation process + Damage to soil | 35 |
| Environmental impacts + Native flora + Native fauna | 33 |
| Regional economic damage | 26 |
| Regional food security | 26 |
| Should happen somewhere else | 23 |
| Land values | 13 |
| Mental health impacts | 12 |
| Interactions with company representatives | 11 |
It is apparent from the responses received through this research project that, there is insufficient trust in DEM’s ability or motivation to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, or confidence or understanding of how the legislation governing on ground activities for these industries offers protection to impacted communities and environments.
When asked to articulate why respondents felt the way they did about DEM’s ability to effectively regulate, there were a range of issues raised which related to concerns about the amount of power DEM has to enforce compliance, our willingness/motivation to enforce its powers, whether the powers available are fit for purpose in the local area, and a perceived lack of impartiality or bias towards energy and mining project over the concerns of communities or individuals. Full details of the feedback related to this issue is articulated in Energy and Mining on the Limestone Coast – Findings Report.
Recommendations
The finding report specifies 5 key recommendations for proponents operating or wishing to operate in the area. These recommendations are:
- Scoping - any proponent seeking to operate on the Limestone Coast should undertake scoping as early in their project as practicable.
- Social Impact Assessment - any company involved in advanced exploration activities for any resource type should undertake a social impact assessment (SIA) as early as practicable.
- Community Consultative Committees - Proponents should seek to establish community consultative committees (CCC) as early as possible in any proposed exploration or mining operations.
- Issues Register - to ensure transparency and easy access to relevant information, proponents should publish a risks/issues register and keep it up to date.
- Transparency - To reduce undue mental health burdens and time required to find information, it is recommended that proponents publish information about an operations’ size, location, and scope, as quickly as possible.
Commitments
To address this going forward, DEM will:
1. Establish a focused webpage bringing together relevant information and resources for interested Limestone Coast stakeholders, including research findings, commitments, community questions/concerns, responses from DEM or relevant companies, and frequently asked questions.
2. Establish a register of interested stakeholders to keep informed of progress against DEM’s commitments outlined in this report. (dem.engagement@sa.gov.au)
3. Review and ensure all available information on DEMs website about exploration and mining, the regulatory process, land access, community engagement, environmental bonds, and rehabilitation requirements for proponents is up to date, easily accessible and written in plain English. Community members should be able to easily find and understand information that relates to their specific situation, their rights, and the protections in place to mitigate and manage potential impacts from energy and mining projects. The focused webpage and direct email address will assist community members to find the information they need, or to contact DEM for further clarification or to give feedback.
4. Increase staff presence in impacted communities to ensure availability of staff for community members and stakeholders. Given the high response rates and level of interest from the Naracoorte area, DEM will initially explore options to have officers based in the town on a regular basis. They will be available to meet with community members who have questions or concerns about any energy or mining-related activities. DEM will also work with local government authorities to monitor interest from other parts of the Limestone Coast and adjust the approach as required.
5. Increase transparency for the public about how mineral tenement holders demonstrate compliance with the Mining Act and approved programs.
Tenement holders are required to provide compliance reports within two months of the anniversary date of the tenement or at an agreed date where the report can cover multiple tenements.
Compliance reports are already publicly available by request from interested parties. However, DEM is committed to making these reports more accessible and will ensure they are available from the Mining Register.
6. Ensure that concerns raised through this survey are factored into our approach to the ongoing compliance monitoring of existing operations and assessment of any applications for future operations in the region.
Proponents are required at various stages to identify and address ‘environmental objectives’, which are usually an operation’s known risk factors. This includes both environmental and social factors. This research has uncovered specific risk factors (key issues) that will now need to be understood and addressed by proponents operating in the region.
The following documents and webpages are available if you wish to read more about our how we regulate, particularly in relation to mineral exploration.
- MG22 Mineral exploration PEPRs and compliance
- Community guide to early and advanced exploration activities in South Australia
- Mineral exploration and land access | Energy & Mining (energymining.sa.gov.au)
7. Conduct similar social research in the region within 12 months of publishing this report. Community sentiments and relationships with industry and government can and do shift and change over time.
Given the complexity of the social and environmental landscape on the Limestone Coast, evolving interests and technologies of industries operating in the area, and the recommendations and commitments in this report, future research will be designed to understand:
- changes in community sentiment towards local projects,
- the effectiveness of the recommendation and commitments in this report to address community needs, and
- to take account of any changing circumstances in the region.
This research may be a standalone piece of work similar to this research project or combined with a broader piece of work to capture sentiments from additional locations (dependent on perceived requirements).
How to give us more feedback
We have established this webpage for ongoing communication and feedback from interested stakeholders across the region. This is to make sure we have accurately captured existing concerns and any others that may arise, and that our actions going forward help reduce uncertainty for residents.
If you have any concerns, feedback on this report or suggestions for future improvements please feel free to email dem.engagement@sa.gov.au.
