Planning, Development and Infrastructure (State Planning Policy) (Biodiversity) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland) (12:38): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I have very few remarks to make on this other than to say that this bill from a member in another place, the Hon. Mark Parnell, largely came out of a report undertaken by the Environment, Resources and Development Committee, of which I am the Chair. We investigated the state of biodiversity in South Australia. Again, there was another thorough report. We were very well assisted in that. One of the points made in the report was that, when undertaking planning decisions especially, we do not have a biodiversity assessment component in the planning acts.

There are two acts at the moment, neither of which have some sort of formal recognition or assessment of biodiversity. This bill intends to include that. I think it is a good idea. The biggest single contributor to the destruction of wildlife is the destruction of habitat, and the biggest single contributor to the destruction of habitat is humans and the way we interact with the landscape, particularly the way we build cities, towns and farms. It is a good idea to take into account the impact we might have when we are dealing with planning. I think the bill is timely and I commend it to the house.

Mr SPEIRS (Bright) (12:39): Similarly to the member for Newland, I will make only very brief remarks on the bill. Like the member for Newland said, biodiversity can be significantly impacted by the consequences of development. I understand that it may have been an intention, when planning laws went through this parliament last year, that biodiversity be canvassed as part of those reforms.

For one reason or another that did not occur and so the member from the other place, the Hon. Mark Parnell, has made a suggestion to both houses that we look at a biodiversity component being embedded into the legislation. That is something that my side of the house is happy to support today. I think we have to be careful that the legislation itself does not become an example of green tape. Some of my colleagues have raised the fact that it could become green tape and bureaucracy, which would slow down worthy development processes. We hope that in the implementation of this legislation, should it pass today, that will be taken into consideration and an appropriate balance attained. With those brief remarks, I commend the legislation to the house.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland) (12:41): Thank you ma'am. I am happy to leave it there and I thank the member for Bright for his contribution.

Bill read a second time.

Third Reading

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland) (12:41): I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Bill read a third time and passed.