SOUTHERN HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:18): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation regarding the illegal killing of southern hairy-nosed wombats.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: In 2010, the Mid Murray Council undertook roadworks on Peters Road, Wongulla. As part of these roadworks, a reasonably old wombat burrow on the side of the road was filled in by the council's grading vehicle and a stormwater run-off channel constructed. Wombats who were in the burrow when this happened were buried alive in a clear breach of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. Other wombats subsequently reinhabited the burrow; however, they are now at risk of drowning because the stormwater channel leads directly into that burrow. My questions are:

1. Is the minister aware that the Mid Murray Council may have breached the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 by illegally destroying this wombat burrow?

2. What action can be or has been taken against the council for breaching this act?

3. What power does the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources have to ensure that stormwater drainage works do not continue to threaten wombats and their burrows?

4. What action will the government take to ensure the illegal drowning of wombats does not occur in the future?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:19): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. Any illegal activity against wombats or, indeed, any animals is taken seriously by departmental staff. I am advised that the department encourages people to report alleged illegal activities to their local departmental office with as much verifiable evidence as possible. As with all wildlife crime, investigating illegal activities against wombats is based on establishing the veracity of the initial report, investigating if an offence has been committed or not and gathering evidence.

I understand that investigations are undertaken by regional departmental staff in the first instance and, if the matter is required to be progressed, the department's Investigations and Compliance Unit will become involved. Departmental staff, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals officers and National Parks wardens conduct on-site assessments in all cases of alleged mistreatment of wombats.

I am not aware of the instance the honourable member raises with me about Mid Murray Council and a reasonably old-looking burrow on Peters Road, but I can advise that as a general rule, it is my understanding, that the department grants a permit to destroy wildlife for wombats, as with all other animal permits, when they take into account ecological, economic, social and animal welfare considerations. It is my understanding that such a permit is granted by the department after a range of nonlethal options have been considered and tried. That usually is the case in terms of landholders. I am not aware if that applies or pertains to councils during roadworks.

Of course, we need to be persuaded that those roadworks need to be done, but I can imagine that council is arguing that for the sake of road safety and the safety of people travelling on the roads, those sort of urgent roadworks need to be pursued. I believe it may well be very impractical to realign roads on the basis of individual burrows. What I will say, though, is that I will ask my department to have a look at the issue the honourable member raises. I would like to see some way that we can actually pursue the checks and balances we apply to local landholders also to local councils, and I will see how practical that may well be.