Natural Resources Management

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:15): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Water. Can the minister inform the house about how the Marshall Liberal government is delivering a new way for natural resources to be managed in this state?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister, be seated for one moment. The member for West Torrens—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is now warned. The minister has the call.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (14:15): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you to the member for Heysen for his question about a very, very important series of reforms that the Marshall Liberal government has brought into legislation here in South Australia. From opposition, we said that we had picked up on very significant dissatisfaction with the natural resources management system here in South Australia and that, if we formed government, as we did in March 2018, we would undertake—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —a very substantial reform to natural resources management, and that is exactly what we did. We came to—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Playford!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —power in March 2018, and we undertook very significant consultation all around the state, getting out into regional communities and asking them what they wanted from their natural resources management system in this state.

What we heard was that the South Australian community wanted a system which was closer to them, more embedded in communities, more informed and shaped by local communities, which they would have a direct input into and in which they had confidence was delivering back to basics environmental management across the state so that we could get environmental sustainability and economic development, because, of course, the natural resources management system is largely focused on the private landscape, our farmscape, ensuring that it is managed in such a way that agricultural productivity is sustained but also that our fauna and flora that are native to South Australia are able to survive and thrive in that landscape as well.

That is a tricky balance to get at times. We know that, historically in this state since European colonisation, we have not done very well with that, but with integrated resources management this can be achieved, and this is exactly what we are focusing on through our new Landscape South Australia reform—reform that has now passed through both houses of parliament here. It has been heavily shaped by South Australian communities and, in particular, peak bodies: the Local Government Association, Primary Producers South Australia, the Conservation Council of South Australia and a range of other not-for-profit organisations putting their views forward to help us shape this.

So we will have a system in place in the coming months that will be informed by local people. It will get those basics right. It will manage our water resources effectively. It will focus on sustainable agricultural programs to make sure that agriculture is able to be productive in this state but do so in a way that is sensitive to our natural environment. It will also focus on ensuring that the resilience of our natural environment—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Playford!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —in the face of a changing climate is sustained through dealing with pest plants and animals, because those things in our landscape weaken the natural environment and as a consequence enhance and lift up the effects of a changing climate.

We have in place a new system. Over the coming months we will see boards be appointed. We will see the creation of Green Adelaide looking at the science of how to green a city and make an urban environment as healthy, as vibrant and as climate resilient as possible. It is great reform. It is back to basics. It is connecting our communities to our environment and putting them at the heart of both economic productivity across the landscape and of course, and importantly, environmental sustainability.