COORONG NATIONAL PARK

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:59): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation questions about the Coorong National Park.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: My colleague the Hon. Michelle Lensink asked a number of questions of the minister regarding the Coorong National Park in this place on 17 October this year. The state government and the Ngarrindjeri people have been negotiating future management arrangements and ownership of the Coorong National Park. A new arrangement for the management of the Coorong National Park has been proposed which would see greater involvement and participation of the Ngarrindjeri people.

The state government has also proposed that the Coorong National Park be owned by Ngarrindjeri after the comanagement three-year period, provided that good management has occurred. Since the questions were asked of the minister, the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority has met to discuss the proposal. My questions to the minister are:

1. What was the outcome of the meeting with the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority with regard to the comanagement of the Coorong National Park?

2. What safeguards will be in place to ensure that the park's management remains transparent and accountable?

3. What access arrangements will be available to people who are not of Indigenous descent?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:00): I thank the honourable member for his most important question about one of our most important parks. I can say at the outset that I am not aware of the outcome of that meeting as yet. I have not received any advice, so I am awaiting that eagerly but, as I said in the answer to the previous question asked by the Hon. Michelle Lensink, my understanding is that the Liberal Party actually supports comanagement of national parks and we welcome that. That is a position that we adopt as well.

Our comanagement system is working well throughout the state, and I am a little lost to understand why people would think the comanagement process in the Coorong would be any different from the comanagement that we undertake elsewhere in the state. I do not know that there has been any restriction on access to any of our national parks that have been comanaged elsewhere in the state, and I don't expect there will be in the Coorong either.