Natural Resources Committee: Levy Proposals 2017-18

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (16:14): I move:

That the reports of the committee be noted.

I have moved that the 120^th, 121^st and 122^nd reports of the Natural Resources Committee be noted. One of the responsibilities of the Natural Resources Committee, as set out in the NRM Act 2004, is to consider and make recommendations on an NRM levy proposal by a natural resources management board where the levy increase exceeds the annual rise in the consumer price index for Adelaide, or where a regional NRM board is conducting a statutory review of its regional NRM plan. These reviews must occur at least once during each period of 10 years, following adoption of the plan.

This year, of the seven NRM regions raising levies, three regions were conducting regional plan reviews: the Eyre Peninsula NRM Board proposed a 3 per cent increase for both the land and water levies; the South Australian Arid Lands NRM Board proposed 1.2 per cent increases for both land and water levies; and the Kangaroo Island NRM Board proposed a 118 per cent increase for its regional levy. The Kangaroo Island region does not have a water levy.

The committee was satisfied that there were no issues with the Eyre Peninsula and Arid Lands levy proposals, which are similar to those proposed in each region's business plan as presented in the previous year. Special consideration was given to the Kangaroo Island NRM levy proposal as the 118 per cent increase was significantly higher than the others and much higher than the year's CPI reference rate of 0.7 per cent.

On this matter, however, the committee accepted the advice of the Kangaroo Island NRM Board Presiding Member Mr Richard Trethewey that this increase was absolutely necessary, primarily due to the need to maintain staffing in priority program areas. Mr Trethewey said:

There has been quite some discussion off the island about our new NRM levy because we have made a bold move to increase the levy from what is currently $36 per rateable property in 2016-17 to a new figure of $79 per rateable property for 2017-18…It will raise the levy that we generate on the island from rateable properties from $176,000 to $385,000, so it virtually doubles that amount of money.

We believe that this is absolutely necessary because we are currently totally understaffed in our weed and feral animal program. We have two people working there. We desperately need to increase that to three people and maintain the equipment, et cetera, that works with that, and we need to be able to put greater emphasis on our water management area. We need to recognise that we are able to leverage money from other various government departments and other areas by having the board intact and by doing this work. The amount of money that we were able to leverage was an extra $17.24 for every one of those dollars that we raised in the levy, so there is significant capacity.

Given that the Kangaroo Island NRM Board is authorised under the NRM Act to select a basis for rates, it might be advisable that in the future options other than a flat rate charge on all rateable land should be considered, as other options might prove fairer and more equitable to the community. For the time being, though, the committee accepted the argument that the actual increase per rateable property was reasonable, justifiable and, on its own, unlikely to cause the community undue hardship. After deliberation, the Natural Resources Committee resolved unanimously at its meetings on 19 May 2017 and 2 June 2017 that it did not object to the levy proposals for all regions under consideration, those being Eyre Peninsula, South Australian Arid Lands and Kangaroo Island.

As always, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the NRM boards, the volunteers and the DEWNR regional staff who do such excellent work, often under very challenging conditions. Every time the committee visits the regions we are, without exception, extremely impressed by the hard work and dedication shown by all the people that we meet who work with and for the NRM boards.

I commend the members of the committee: the Presiding Member the Hon. Steph Key MP, the Hon. Paul Caica MP, Mr John Gee MP, Mr Peter Treloar MP, the Hon. John Dawkins MLC and the Hon. Robert Brokenshire MLC for their contributions. All members have worked cooperatively on these deliberations and on this report. Finally, I thank the parliamentary staff for their assistance. I commend this report to the house.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:20): It gives me great pleasure to follow on from the Hon. Mr Gazzola in his moving of the noting of these reports, and I am very pleased that he has, in recent times, joined our committee.

I endorse the remarks. I think the address the honourable member has made and the reports that we are noting exemplify the fact that the NRM board regions do vary extraordinarily, and the three that are referred to in this particular report could not be more different in size, in their population base and the other different facets, the great variations from Kangaroo Island to Eyre Peninsula to the Arid Lands.

The committee recently had the opportunity to spend time on the Fleurieu Peninsula and on Kangaroo Island, brief as it was. The time we spent with NRM board members and staff of DEWNR on the island showed us, I think, that that community does find ways in which things can work for it. As the very good chair, Mr Trethewey, said, and in the words quoted by the Hon. Mr Gazzola, they do need additional resources for their work against weeds and feral animals. They are to be congratulated for what they have achieved on a whole range of fronts on the island, and we wish them well with that work. With those words, I endorse the report to the council.

Motion carried.