Olympic Dam Task Force

The Olympic Dam Task Force was formed by the Government of South Australia in 2006 to assist with the facilitation of the expansion of BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine near Roxby Downs in the state's Far North region. The Olympic Dam Task Force was initially allocated $1.5 million over three financial years to support its operations which included maximising the flow-on benefits of the proposed $5 billion plus mining expansion. At the time of its foundation, the Olympic Dam expansion was believed to have the potential to generate around 23 000 direct and indirect jobs. The task force was allocated an additional $1.7 million funding for the financial years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 to pay for recruitment of additional staff, provision of external advice, and other costs. Annual expenditure exceeded $2 million for the first time in 2012, the same year BHP Billiton decided not to proceed with the expansion as originally planned. The Task Force's scope has since expanded to include the facilitation of other major industrial projects in South Australia.

The Government of South Australia's intent to form a task force to assist the expansion of the Olympic Dam mine was first expressed in 2002. This followed an announcement in October 2002 by the former owner of the project, Western Mining Corporation of its intention to expand the mine. At the time, the company was considering the possibility of converting the mine from an underground mine to an open cut operation.

A Cross-Government Taskforce, led by the Department of Trade & Economic Development (now the Department of State Development) was established by Premier Mike Rann in 2002 to progress assessment processes, and address environmental and infrastructure issues relating to the expansion of the mine. This task force was also involved in supporting matters of local industry participation, workforce planning, native title and Aboriginal heritage, and the review of the existing Roxby Downs (Indenture Ratification) Act 1982. This taskforce served as the precursor to the Olympic Dam Task Force which was established in 2006, following BHP Billiton's acquisition of Western Mining Corporation and its assets.

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