WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (15:11): I do apologise for putting this supplementary question to the chamber, but did the minister take Bindi Irwin down to the Mount Bold Reservoir to see the flora and fauna that will be flooded and lost to South Australia when the reservoir is extended?

Members interjecting:

An honourable member: No answer.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: What is the minister doing to protect the flora and fauna in the Mount Bold Reservoir area that will be flooded once the reservoir is expanded—

The PRESIDENT: Order! Opinion.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —extended on World Environment Day? I would like an answer, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: The minister will avoid the opinion in the question.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health) (15:11): I have already gone on the record in terms of talking about native vegetation and both fauna and flora in the Mount Bold area in the past, so all of that is already on the record. There has been no decision in terms of increasing the reservoir capacity in that area as yet. As the honourable member well and truly knows, there is a very extensive and thorough planning process that would need to be gone through if that reservoir capacity was to be expanded.

That includes an environmental impact statement that assesses the value of what is there, and the potential impact that any expansion of the reservoir capacity would have on that environment. There is a statutory public consultation period, so everyone will get to see the facts and figures and have an opportunity to input. It would be completely irrelevant to take someone to look at that when, in fact, no decision has been made.