House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Region COORONG, LOWER LAKES AND MURRAY MOUTH REGION Mr ODENWALDER House of Assembly Little Para COORONG, LOWER LAKES AND MURRAY MOUTH REGION Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. What initiatives are being undertaken in recognition of the critical importance of protecting the Coorong, the Lower Lakes and the Murray Mouth region? The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly Colton Minister for Sustainability Minister for Water and the River Murray Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation 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) (15:10): I am very pleased to inform members that the government has recently signed a $4.79 million agreement with the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority. The agreement is a new partnership between the authority and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources which will enable the Ngarrindjeri community to continue their efforts to protect the Coorong and the Lower Lakes region. The Ngarrindjeri Partnerships Project is one of 19 projects under the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth program, and it is a great example of the efforts being made to restore the system to health under the South Australian government's Murray Futures program. The Coorong and Lower Lakes region and the surrounding areas are central to the Ngarrindjeri's cultural and spiritual beliefs and the freshwater flows down the River Murray are seen by the Ngarrindjeri as the lifeblood of the living body of the river, the lakes and the Coorong. The Chair of the authority, Mr Tom Trevorrow, has welcomed the partnership. The Murray Futures program provides an opportunity to establish a lasting legacy and positive collaboration between the Ngarrindjeri nation and the people of South Australia. The authority has also worked well with the government to develop this partnership project, which will help heal the lands and the waters, and all living things. The authority will use some of the funding to employ a number of professional officers and cultural advisers to support the implementation of this project. The project will support training and development and participation in on-ground activities, as well as ensuring the Ngarrindjeri contribute to regional management planning processes. Mrs Redmond interjecting: The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: We are not all as good you—we are not all as good as the Leader of the Opposition. An honourable member House of Assembly An honourable member: Just read the script. The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: Madam Speaker, this is coming from a person who believes that it is tokenism to stand up and recognise country. She might well go and talk to the people down there as to how they feel about that particular matter. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! An honourable member interjecting: The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: Yes, that's right. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: The project, as I said, will support training and development and participation in on-ground activities, as well as ensuring the Ngarrindjeri contribute to regional management planning processes. It will also ensure that activities protect and appropriately care for Ngarrindjeri cultural heritage. As well as announcing the new partnership with the NRA on World Environment Day, I also joined the Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Association to help launch the 2012 community revegetation program that will see volunteers from 28 community groups return more than 300,000 native plants to the Lower Lakes area. A further 20,000 native plants are being planted along the Meningie foreshore as part of the Meningie lakefront habitat restoration project. These projects are a reminder of the ongoing recovery work that is needed to help return the region to health and to build resilience to protect it from future droughts. The work is also a reminder of how critically important it is that we get the Murray-Darling Basin plan to ensure that the devastation that occurred in the lower reaches of the river is not repeated. I commend the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority and this partnership agreement to the house.