KIPT welcomes new Ministers
Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers welcomes the appointment of Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman as the new Minister for Planning and David Basham as the Minister for Primary Industries.
“Both Ms Chapman and Mr Basham are very familiar with Kangaroo Island and with the issues facing the Island community and economy,” KIPT Managing Director Keith Lamb said.
Ms Chapman is a landowner and farmer on Kangaroo Island where she was born and has a long family history. As Planning Minister she will be responsible for overseeing the Major Projects approval process and for approving the company’s proposed Kangaroo Island Seaport.
“We look forward to working with Ms Chapman, who we are sure understands the issues facing the Island in relation to the harvesting and export of plantation timber and the opportunities the Kangaroo Island Seaport will present once completed,” Mr Lamb said.
New Primary Industries Minister Mr Basham is also the Member for Finniss, the electorate which until the last election encompassed Kangaroo Island.
The 2019-20 bushfires have created an urgency regarding export of the damaged plantation timber. “We have been through a thorough assessment process, we are shovel-ready to build this transformative infrastructure and we’re ready to work with the new Ministers to achieve that,” Mr Lamb said.