National Parks and Wildlife (Co-managed Parks) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 30 November 2016.)

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (16:16): I rise to make some remarks in relation to this bill, which the Liberal opposition is supporting. The National Parks and Wildlife (Co-managed Parks) Amendment Bill amends the co-management provisions of the National Parks and Wildlife Act and the Wilderness Protection Act. It also provides retrospective approval to two existing mining leases in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, which have operated unregulated since 1972 due to an administrative error.

The National Parks and Wildlife Act and the Wilderness Protection Act both exist to establish and protect parks and wilderness areas throughout South Australia. In 2004, the National Parks and Wildlife Act was amended to allow for the co-management of parks, which was designed to recognise and include Aboriginal communities in the management process of their traditional lands. Similarly, in 2013 amendments were made to the Wilderness Protection Act to provide for co-management over state wilderness-protected areas.

These co-management agreements have allowed Aboriginal communities to care for their sacred places, upskill them, build land management expertise, and pursue potential cultural tourism and economic benefits. The state government has now entered into some 12 co-management agreements, which cover 35 of South Australia's parks and reserves, some 13½ million hectares or 64 per cent of the state's reserve system. I understand these 12 agreements include seven boards and five advisory committees, and some of these boards advise several parks, but under the existing legislation there is no legal authority to manage them jointly.

The bill provides administrative amendments to clarify the wording used to allow the co-management by one board over several parks. The amendments also allow for existing co-management agreements to be updated to allow existing co-management boards to merge. This is of particular relevance where one Aboriginal community is represented across multiple boards in the same region. There are also clauses in the bill which allow regulations to be made to fix expiation fees for alleged offences against the act. As previously mentioned, the bill enables two mining leases in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park to be recognised, which is going to provide retrospective approval.

There are a number of co-managed parks, as I mentioned. The Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources produced a document in February 2016, entitled 'Strong People, Strong Country: Co-managing parks in South Australia', which has a map, and I love maps. Pages 10 and 11 show the co-managed parks, which are largely located in the northern part of South Australia, that are currently covered under such agreements. With those words, I commend the bill to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. G.E. Gago.