Natural Resources Committee: Annual Report 2016-17

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (11:40): I move:

That the 124^th report of the committee, entitled Annual Report 2016-17, be noted.

The year 2016-17 has been another busy one for the Natural Resources Committee. Membership of the Natural Resources Committee was similar to that of the previous year. The Hon. Gerry Kandelaars MLC resigned, effective from 27 February 2017. The new committee member, the Hon. John Gazzola MLC, joined the committee on 28February 2017, replacing the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars. Also the member for Colton very helpfully took up a vacancy left by the departure of the member for Elder in June 2016.

The committee staff was unchanged since the previous reporting period, with the research officer, Ms Barbara Coddington, and the executive officer, Mr Patrick Dupont, providing continuity in support to the committee. Ms Barbara Coddington has since resigned from the committee, which is a loss for the committee and the House of Assembly, but I am pleased to be able to report that Ms Coddington has taken up a position in the parliamentary library, so her expertise is not completely lost to the parliament.

Over the reporting period, the committee undertook 14 formal meetings, totalling 35 hours and 15 minutes, and took evidence from 38 witnesses. Seven reports were tabled: the Pinery fire regional fact-finding visit report, the annual report for 2015-16, the inquiry into unconventional gas fracking in the South-East of South Australia final report and the three reports on natural resources management levy proposals for 2017-18.

While I am talking about committee reports, I need to take this opportunity to note that the tabling of many reports has been a consistent feature of this committee. I recently ran through the list of all the tabled reports of this committee, and it turns out that over the past 10 years this committee has tabled 108 reports, an average of almost 11 reports per year. I am also very proud to say that this committee's strong record of report production is a credit to the committees, past and present, and of course also to the committee staff, past and present. Many of the committee's tabled reports have involved a considerable amount of work, and I trust that some of the reports, at least, have made a significant contribution to debate and policy development on a range of issues.

The committee endeavours to visit the eight NRM regions over the course of the four-year parliamentary term in order to meet NRM managers and community members and observe the work done by regional NRM boards and staff of the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. During the reporting period, the committee visited the Northern Yorke NRM region, the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin NRM region and combined a visit to the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island. It saw members visiting the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, KI and NRM regions over two days.

It has always been the philosophy of this committee to include local members and any other interested members on site visits. This practice has been of enormous benefit to the committee, and I am reliably informed that the committee site visits to the region often benefit local members and their communities by helping to get a range of issues investigated and considered more closely than might otherwise be the case.

As part of its regular visits to the regions, the committee always appreciates the very generous hospitality offered by local communities. It is the committee's experience that local government, as the grassroots tier of government, can always be relied upon to welcome the committee and provide us with access to local expertise and excellent venues in which to take evidence and conduct meetings. The regional NRM boards and DEWNR support staff that we have occasion to visit and meet in the regions are also tremendously helpful and always go the extra mile to ensure that the committee's visits are not only productive but highly stimulating. Of course, the local volunteers, such as those individuals who work with the NRM boards, local government and community groups and also landowners and farmers, are also immensely deserving of praise and are a fantastic resource for the local communities and this committee.

For the 2016-17 period, the committee finalised its report—we managed to survive too, I might say—into unconventional gas fracking, hearing from the last two witnesses and tabling the final report in November 2016. The committee also continued to gather evidence for its sustainable marine scale fishery management in South Australia report and its prawns report and received briefings on SA Water storages, the Brown Hill Keswick Creek Stormwater Project, Smith Bay wharf proposal and a marine parks update.

I commend members of the committee over the reporting period—the Hon. Robert Brokenshire MLC, the Hon. John Dawkins MLC, the member for Napier, former MLC the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars, the member for Flinders, the member for Colton and the Hon. John Gazzola—for their contributions.

I would also like to thank the members, particularly in this house, who have accompanied us and supported the committee. We really appreciate the work you have done to make sure that not only do we produce reports but we produce reports with recommendations that hopefully will be meaningful and will be taken up. All members have worked cooperatively throughout this period. Finally, I would like to thank the parliamentary staff for their assistance. I commend the report to the house.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:46): I rise to speak briefly about the 124^th report of the Natural Resources Committee which summarises the 2016-17 financial year. I acknowledge the great work that the Natural Resources Committee does and I acknowledge not only the inclusiveness of the committee members and the respect they give the local members and the communities they visit but also the exclusivity that the staff give local members when visiting. It is an outstanding achievement that, under the leadership of the Hon. Steph Key, this committee is always out there being proactive, looking at some of the great wonders of regional South Australia.

In saying that, I note the visit to the Riverland recently to visit the wonderful Gluepot Reserve, which is north of Waikerie—it is an outstanding destination—to look at what the fantastic volunteers have done. It gives an opportunity to look at some of the wonderful native fauna and native birdlife. Of course, the bird hides that give you those opportunities, the photography groups that go out there, the bird lovers who go out there, the environmental lovers who go out to Gluepot Reserve are testament to the large amount of recognition that Gluepot does get.

I also acknowledge all the volunteers' hard work. Not only does it pay off, in that it gives people the opportunity to experience some great wildlife and birdlife, it also highlights what tranquillity is all about. They are harsh conditions. It is native scrub. Most of it is sand and mostly conditions are quite arid, but it does have a dedicated group that allows schools and volunteer groups and enthusiast groups to go out and experience it.

Of course, we cannot not mention the malleefowl nesting mounds that are synonymous with that part of the country. The Mallee and the Riverland have many malleefowl mounds. Having been a horticulturalist, I was always very proud to have malleefowl nests coming right up to the border of my property, which goes to show that horticulturalists can work with the environment and they can coexist, particularly with the very fragile malleefowl.

I have also given evidence to the Natural Resources Committee regarding the proposed changes to NRM levies across the state, particularly the Murray-Darling Basin natural resources area. I note that there are eight areas and to me none are more important than the Murray-Darling Basin area.

What really does concern me is that the government continues to use the NRM Act as a cash cow. It is not just about what programs NRM undertake, but it is also that NRM levies seem to be going into propping up wages within the department of DEWNR. It just puts a bad taste in the contributor's mouth, particularly when they are paying an increased tax. If you own land, you pay a tax. If you own water, you pay a tax. The more land you own, the more tax you pay. The more water you own, the more tax you pay.

These people enable every government minister to stand up and spruik what wonderful work they do in contributing to the state's economy and what wonderful work they do contributing to the state's environmental and tourism assets. They give with one hand and take with the other. That is disappointing.

As an example, the Riverland wine and grapegrowers, who contribute some 60 per cent of the state's wine grapes, are the engine room of the wine industry. It is all very nice to have all the beautiful, small boutique wineries, but when you talk about value and when you talk about an economy the engine room is in the Riverland. The engine room is what levies are paid on, and the continual neglect of the engine room is concerning.

Without further ado, I congratulate and say well done to the hardworking committee. I congratulate the Chair on her astute leadership of a very good committee. I always look forward to the NRC coming up to the Riverland, and I look forward to next time they come up when I can potentially participate in that meeting. Thank you to them.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (11:51): I would also like to make a few comments on aspects of this report, but my remarks will be prefaced by giving a great deal of praise to the Chair of the committee, the member for Ashford. She has done an amazing and outstanding job over a number of years. She has had the courage of her convictions to stand up and be counted on certain matters that probably did not please others in the government. Good on her for doing that. She will be sadly missed. It will be a hard task to follow by whomever succeeds the member for Ashford as the presiding member. I am delighted that I have had the opportunity from time to time to be involved and work with her. We may come from different perspectives on politics generally, but we are actually at one in relation to natural resources management.

I noticed that the committee referred to discussions with Mr Bob Knight of Cape Jervis. The ongoing issues at Cape Jervis in relation to the squid fishery seem to have gone a bit quiet. I know Mr Knight and another were pretty strongly opposed to the squid fishery down there. It did not sit well with the locals and there were some screaming matches between one particular person on shore and fishermen out in the water. I was actually concerned at one stage that it could have got quite violent. Fortunately, that seems to have faded away. The squid fishery is a major part of the economic boost for that area out of Cape Jervis. I am pleased that they spoke with Mr Knight. I saw him recently and he said, 'Do you remember me?' I said, 'I couldn't forget you, Bob.' Anyway, that is another story.

In relation to the committee's trip to the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island in June this year, I could not attend the Fleurieu visit, unfortunately, for various reasons but mainly because I was as sick as a dog. Be that as it may, I am pleased that they did do what they did. I note that they went to Harvest the Fleurieu, which is a very progressive business that is hugely into strawberries. There is a commercial base there, which used to be run by Mr Rod Lewis, brother of the late former Speaker, Peter Lewis, and they have certainly taken that by the scruff of the neck and made it into a focal point on the Adelaide-Victor road for people to call in and get produce. They do have their issues. Quite frankly, one of the issues they have is with stealing, especially at night, and with people taking more than they should, but they will have to work through that as it is all part of the deal.

I would have liked to have been there for the discussions with local landholders and DEWNR staff on the low-flow bypasses. I have always thought they were errant nonsense, and my view has not changed. I see they are still messing around with them. My view is that they are a waste of time. If you were the most ardent conservationist, you may choose to have one, but I would not mind betting that if they were to become law—which I do not think they will—they would suddenly have accidents occur so that they would not work.

I think the former minister (the member for Colton) got a bit of an eye opener when he toured the Lower Fleurieu with me a few years ago, before he was dispatched. He got a bit of a different perspective on the world when he met with some Fleurieu farmers, the Ag Bureau and a few others on that particular matter. I would just like to read into my contribution what the report said:

Members were very impressed by the work that Yumbah Aquaculture had done to build a multi-million dollar aquaculture business employing a significant number of Kangaroo Island locals in the venture. Members look forward to keeping updated on the Development Assessment Commission process underway for the proposed KIPT wharf as clearly the existing aquaculture business should be protected.

I am not convinced in any way that it will be protected, and I have spoken on numerous occasions in this place on Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers and so on, which has upset some people. So be it; that is just too bad. I am not going to sit back and watch a good business destroyed to create another one, and that is the upshot. It is wrong, wrong, wrong. There is nothing that will convince me that putting in that port immediately adjacent to the abalone farm will not destroy it. I cannot for the life of me see how it could ever be approved.

While I am not speaking for the committee members, I think that the members of the committee who saw that site, walked around Yumbah Aquaculture and looked at the Smith Bay port proposal must have had some grave doubts as to whether it could go ahead.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Are we going to finish the matter this morning?

Mr PENGILLY: Yes; sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker. I do not want to see it happen there. Yes, I want to see it happen somewhere else. Yes, I want to see the trees gone; that would be wonderful. But the Natural Resources Committee would do well to keep a very close eye on that matter now and in the future. Once again, thank you to the Presiding Member.

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (11:58): I would like to thank everyone for their work, both today in the chamber and also in general for our committee. We really appreciate the support, guidance and advice we receive from members in this house in particular, and I would just like to commend the report to the house.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I thought we could refer to the member for Ashford as the 'supernatural member for Ashford', couldn't we.

Motion carried.