SADA welcomes strengthened safeguards for farmers, but calls for long-term planning through Plan to Farm.

The South Australian Dairyfarmers’ Association (SADA) has welcomed amendments passed in the Legislative Council yesterday to strengthen protections for farmers from long-term mining and energy exploration on agricultural land, but the ‘make it up as you go along’ approach relating to farmland in SA needs to be abandoned. The events in the upper house are emblematic of the issue. 

The amendments to the Statutes Amendment (Energy and Mining Reforms) Bill 2025, moved by the Opposition, reduce the State Government’s original proposal to allow five-year extensions to 18-year exploration leases. Under the amended Bill, any extension will now be capped at a maximum of two years.

The amendments also introduced mandatory independent agricultural impact assessments and require direct consultation with affected landowners before any extension can be granted. Under Plan to Farm, the farmer’s voice will be heard at the start of the process, not the end.

SADA CEO Andrew Curtis said the improvements to the Bill were a necessary step in protecting high-value agricultural land, but the situation highlights a deeper, ongoing problem. “We welcome the Legislative Council’s decision to require proper consultation and independent assessment before exploration leases are extended. These safeguards are critical for farmers, food producers and regional communities,” Mr Curtis said. “But the fact that Parliament has had to fix this at the eleventh hour tells the real story—agriculture is still an afterthought in policy development. Farming shouldn’t come last.”

SADA argues that the “policy on the run” approach to land management in South Australia is unsustainable and reinforces the need for its Plan to Farm policy framework, launched last week in Adelaide.

Plan to Farm proposes clear planning principles that ensure the protection of South Australia’s food production is front of mind when managing mining, housing and growth demands. SADA believes planning decisions must consider not only economic development, but the long-term security of food supply and the viability of farming communities.

“South Australians depend on the land that feeds them. Plan to Farm is about making sure governments weigh the consequences of every land-use decision—from exploration to urban expansion—before irreversible damage is done.”

The amended Statutes Amendment (Energy and Mining Reforms) Bill 2025 now returns to the House of Assembly for final approval. SADA is calling on all Members of Parliament to support the amendments and to commit to coordinated, long-term agricultural land-use planning to avoid ongoing uncertainty for farmers and regional South Australia.

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