AIRCRAFT CONTRAILS

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (14:57): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON: Over a period of many months I have received over 1,300 communications from constituents, as well as photographs and video recordings, of aircraft flying over SA and spraying out plumes of a gaseous substance. I always believed they were merely jet streams until it was pointed out that jet streams dissipate quickly while these streams remain lingering in the air for hours and then do not disappear but form what looks like light cloud cover.

I have also noticed these streams over my area of Elizabeth. We were at Mallala on the weekend and that was being sprayed also. Some of these complaints have come from Willunga, Aldinga and surrounding areas. There is a video documentary called What on Earth Are They Spraying? In that video physicists, scientists, biologists and environmental biologists who have done studies on this show that these chemicals being sprayed contain barium, chromium and aluminium, just to mention a few. My questions are:

1. Did he give approval or has he been briefed on what is being sprayed from these aircraft?

2. What is being sprayed exactly; what is the chemical breakdown?

3. Why are these planes spraying this substance?

4. Is the minister aware of any environmental monitoring that is occurring wherever these activities are taking place?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:59): I thank the honourable member for her very important question about, possibly, contrails—I am not sure. I will take these questions on notice to the minister in the other place for an answer. As a point of issue, it may well be that this is a federal matter given that it does relate to aircraft and airports. I am pretty sure, despite the explanation given by the honourable member, that it has nothing to do with the fluoridation of aircraft exhausts.