Native Vegetation

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:20): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation about native vegetation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Last year the Native Vegetation (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2013 was passed in this place and there has been quite a bit of discussion in various media outlets in relation to the significant environmental benefit and value of it. In particular, regional councils had expressed a number of concerns as had regional LGA associations.

The minister responded last year by saying that the consultation process was under consideration and that he expected workshops to be completed in February 2014 before a decision would be made. My question is: can the minister provide an update on what the status of those negotiations is and when he expects a decision to be made?