Natural Resources Committee: Annual Report 2014-15

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (16:45): I move:

That the report of the Natural Resources Committee, 2014-15, be noted.

The 2014-15 year has been another busy one for the Natural Resources Committee. Membership of the committee has remained unchanged from the previous year, with all members of the 53^rd parliament first session continuing into the second session. The committee staff, however, has changed since the previous reporting period. Former research officer, David Trebilcock, retired late in 2014, and I note his tremendous contribution to the committee over the four years that he was the research officer. He was subsequently replaced by Ms Barbara Coddington. The position of executive officer, held by Patrick Dupont, remained unchanged during the reporting period, providing continuing support to the committee.

Over the reporting period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 the committee undertook 23 formal hearings, totalling 62 hours, and took evidence from 77 witnesses. Seven reports were drafted and tabled: the annual report for 2013-14, the Kangaroo Island natural resources management (NRM) regional fact finding visit report, and five reports on the NRM levy proposals for 2015-16. The committee has regular responsibilities to consider NRM levies and to visit NRM regions to observe work done under the auspices of the regional NRM boards, and the staff of the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR).

The committee takes its responsibilities very seriously and endeavours to visit all NRM regions over the course of the four-year parliamentary term in order to meet on the ground with natural resources managers and community members. The committee prides itself on arranging and attending regional hearings and fact finding visits. Hearings are transcribed by Hansard officers, who travel with the committee to record proceedings, although I must say that that rarely occurs.

With on-site visits, however, where Hansard is not available, the committee does its best to navigate around and compile records of evidence for inclusion in its report using information technology, which includes mobile smartphones, a laptop computer, a digital audio recorder and a digital camera. Unfortunately, there are presently no suitable phones or laptops available for committee staff to use when out of the office, and this is a general concern of the committee. Staff are forced to actually use their own personal property.

The use of appropriate IT support for committee has been raised with management on a number of occasions, and the committee is optimistic that in the very near future arrangements can be made for committee staff to have access to suitable laptop computers and other appropriate ITC resources, which the staff require to do their job effectively and safely when out of the office. In addition to its NRM responsibilities, the committee generally aims to undertake an additional inquiry. For the 2014-15 period the committee resolved on 17 October 2014 to inquire into aquaculture.

However, shortly after this the committee was referred an additional inquiry into unconventional gas (fracking) by the Legislative Council on 19 November 2014 on the motion of the Hon. Mark Parnell, as amended by the Hon. Tammy Franks, pursuant to section 16(1)(a) of the Parliamentary Committees Act. Due to the overwhelmingly strong interest in the fracking inquiry, the aquaculture inquiry has been delayed temporarily, and members are looking forward to getting back to it in 2015-16.

The terms of reference for the inquiry into unconventional gas include potential risks and impacts in the use of hydraulic fracture stimulation (fracking) to produce gas in the South-East of South Australia and in particular: the risks of groundwater contamination; the impact upon landscape; the effectiveness of existing legislation and regulation; and the potential for net economic outcomes for the region and the rest of the state.

After the inquiry was advertised on 26 November 2014, more than 175 submissions were received and evidence has been taken from 32 witnesses at 10 public hearings held in Adelaide and in the South-East. Much of the evidence received has been of high quality and will be integral to the committee's report and to developing recommendations.

In February 2015, the committee made a fact-finding visit to Millicent in the South-East to take evidence from local communities and visit sites relevant to the inquiry. In total, two fact-finding visits were undertaken in 2014-15: one to the Kangaroo Island NRM region; and one to Millicent to take evidence as part of the committee's inquiry into fracking and unconventional gas.

I commend members of the committee—the Presiding Member, the Hon. Steph Key MP, who does a marvellous job in keeping the committee on track; Mr Jon Gee MP; Mr Chris Picton MP; Mr Peter Treloar MP; the Hon. Robert Brokenshire MLC; and the Hon. John Dawkins MLC—for their contributions. All members of the committee have worked cooperatively throughout the year. Finally, I should thank the parliamentary staff, that is, the executive officer, Mr Patrick Dupont, and Ms Barbara Coddington for their assistance over the year. I commend this report to the council.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:52): I rise very briefly to support the remarks of the Hon. Mr Kandelaars, and certainly I will not at any stage repeat what he is has said, but I think the Natural Resources Committee remains without a doubt one of the most active in the parliament, if not the most active, and it certainly deals with a wide range of issues. There is the obvious connection we have to the NRM boards and the deliverance of their levies, and there is obviously always some controversy about that.

One thing there has been some controversy about in recent times is the Western Mount Lofty Ranges being involved in the payment of levies and, of course, one thing that we must remember is that those issues were raised by the Hon. Michelle Lensink as the shadow minister for environment about 12 months ago, and she spoke to the chair of the committee and got our committee to have a look at that. As a result, the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM board reduced the levy amount not only for those people who were paying the levy for the first time, but also for other people throughout that region. There is a very large number of people throughout that region—the vast majority of the population of the state. I think that shows that the committee can respond to issues that are raised by other members of parliament who are not on the committee.

That leads me also to the fact that in the inquiry that we are currently doing into unconventional gas fracking, there is input from other members of parliament in this chamber and, of course, the other place, about the committee's role there, and there is certainly interest in the evidence that we have taken in the South-East of the state. A number of members from this place and the other place, as I said, have taken great interest in the work of that committee. I know that in the new year we will take evidence from a number of members of parliament on that inquiry.

I also wish to refer to the staff of the committee, particularly in relation to the retirement of Mr David Trebilcock who was passionate in his pursuit of knowledge about the environment. He was also rather famous in our committee for coming up with titles for reports which sometimes got through the system and sometimes did not. I am not a great fan of putting titles on reports, I must say, but certainly we miss David's passionate work. I do not think anybody could ever deny that.

His successor is Barbara Coddington who has a terrifically wide background, having at one stage worked up in the lofty heights of Hansard so she has some experience in dealing with us that goes beyond her committee experience. She also has wide experience, having worked for the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin NRM board and, of course, in coming from the United States she has added to the work she does for us.

The committee is one that prides itself on getting out into the regions. We have had a few challenges in recent years in getting to the southern part of the AW NRM board. We are, I think, expecting that in April or May (I am not sure but certainly in that period of next year) we will be going to the southern region of the AW board, so I look forward to that.

Like the Hon. Mr Kandelaars I pay tribute to the work of the presiding member, the Hon. Steph Key who keeps a number of us—the remainder of the committee are all males so she keeps us under control pretty well.

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: Limits our questions.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Even my colleague over there, the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, she keeps under control pretty well.

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: She does; I'm scared of her.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Perhaps I should put that on the record: that the Hon. Mr Brokenshire said he is scared of the Hon. Steph Key. With those few remarks I endorse the comments of the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars and I look forward to continuing to work on that committee. It has been a pleasure to be part of it for I think about six years now. With those remarks I commend the report to the council.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (16:59): I rise to support this report of the NRC, well set out in Hansard by the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars and the Hon. John Dawkins, my colleagues. I also have the privilege of being on that committee. It is a committee that works hard. It is arguably the hardest committee in the parliament for its workload and delivery, and it is a privilege and a pleasure to be on the committee.

The Hon. Steph Key does a great job as Chair. I would also like to commend the staff, who do a brilliant job and who work hard with all these reports and all the evidence and facts in our reports. That is why I generally do not speak. I have signed off, like most other members, on them, and I leave them for my colleagues, the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars and the Hon. John Dawkins, because I endorse their remarks. With those few words, I commend the report to the house.

Motion carried.