Parliamentary Committees

NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE: LITTLE PENGUINS

Debate resumed.

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (11:39): It is wonderful to see that so many of our members in the chamber are interested in the Eudyptula minor issue and their demise. I wish to thank all those who have assisted the committee. There are some 27 references, as members will note, in the report that has been compiled on this issue.

I should say that, noting the member for Bragg's points which I think are very well made, the committee decided this was not going to be a major inquiry that we would be doing. It may be that we are convinced that we should reopen this issue but, as I said in the opening comments, we really were responding to the Hon. Robert Brokenshire's inquiry into the issue.

I would like to thank everybody on our committee. We have had a few changes, but I would particularly like to acknowledge members of the committee: Mr Geoff Brock MP, the Hons Robert Brokenshire MLC and John Dawkins MLC, Mrs Robyn Geraghty MP, Mr Lee Odenwalder MP, Mr Don Pegler MP, Mr Dan van Holst Pellekaan MP and the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars MLC, as well as former committee members the Hons Russell Wortley MLC and Paul Holloway MLC for their contributions. I would particularly like to acknowledge the contribution of the member for Bragg and also her comments on the cephalopods—the cuttlefish. That was also something that our committee discussed.

I make special mention of the surprise contribution from minister Foley and his address to us. I would just like to reassure him that we tried to have as comprehensive an overview of the plight of the fairy penguins as we could. So, I thank him for that.

The staff have waded through the different information that has been put forward to us, bearing in mind that this was not an official inquiry that the committee took up. I would particularly like to thank them for their work and their ongoing support of the committee. It is quite extraordinary that they have put the time into making sure that we are reasonably well informed about fairy penguins. On that basis, I commend the report to the house.

Motion carried.