ADOPT A BEACH PROGRAM

The Hon. M. PARNELL (14:51): My supplementary question is: if 12 tonnes of aquaculture debris has been collected along the coastline, is there any estimate of how much rubbish has either escaped or been dumped from aquaculture operations that has not been collected?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:51): I would hazard a guess that that would be an impossible figure to estimate. I would have thought the Greens would have been standing up in this chamber today congratulating the government, the industry and local community groups for this first time ever effort of working in this cooperative way to improve and tidy up our coastline. But no, we don't have the honourable member getting to his feet and congratulating us at all, which is a real shame because, as I said, it is the first year of the program and it has taken some time to bring the industry to a point where they have agreed to cooperate in this way, and they should be encouraged to do that. They should be acknowledged for their efforts—12,000 kilograms of rubbish that has been washed up on our shores. They should be congratulated for their efforts, but we don't see the Greens doing that. They are mean spirited in that respect.