MURRAY-DARLING BASIN

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Can the minister inform the house about the status of the ongoing vegetation work in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:03): I thank the honourable member for Port Adelaide for her very, very important question. It was just a few short years ago that we experienced severe drought across the Murray-Darling Basin, which had a devastating ecological, cultural, economic and social impact across the basin, but in particular down at the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region.

The drought saw flows into the lakes dry up, the water levels in both lakes Alexandrina and Albert plummet. Native fish and plant species came close to extinction. Salinity levels skyrocketed, and the region's communities and traditional owners suffered immeasurably. Acid sulphate soils developed in association with the record low water levels in the lakes and the Goolwa Channel.

Scientific investigations found that one of the ways to tackle the threat posed by acidification was to add carbon to the soil by revegetating exposed lake beds during drought and the lake edges once the water had returned. The vegetation program being undertaken in the region is funded by both the commonwealth and South Australian governments up to a total of $39.61 million and has been an important contributing factor to the region's recovery from drought. As well as adding vital carbon to the soil, the vegetation works to help stabilise the soil and reduce erosion.

This is believed to be the largest project of its kind ever attempted in Australia. Since the first planting trials were undertaken in 2009 more than two million sedges and other plants have been planted at many sites throughout the region. In addition, around 10,000 hectares of lake bed has been seeded by air. The traditional owners, the Ngarrindjeri people, have been at the forefront of vegetation work, with community and Ngarrindjeri nurseries propagating plants required for planting, and dozens of community groups undertaking the planting work.

Further to the plantings, more than 160 kilometres of fencing has been erected along lakefront properties to protect the lake edge, and more than 130 stock watering points have also been established. The South Australian Murray-Darling Basin NRM Board, the Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Group, the Ngarrindjeri and DENR have also undertaken pest and weed control work across the region to support this very important vegetation program.

Planning is well advanced for this year's vegetation work. Around 600,000 plants—with at least half being propagated by community and Ngarrindjeri nurseries—are set to be planted at more than 40 sites across the region. The latest phase of the fencing program is also underway, with funding available until April for landholders to build shoreline fences on their properties. Pest and weed management will enter a new phase in the coming weeks with a focus on the buffering of revegetation sites and identifying high priority areas for the benefit of biodiversity in the region.

These projects are building resilience into the region's environment so that it can better cope with future droughts and floods. Perhaps most important of all, the vegetation program is bring communities together to work for a healthy and prosperous future for the region. The Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region is still recovering, making it critical that we get the Murray-Darling Basin plan right to ensure that the region is able to fully recover.