Motions

Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (11:06): I move:

That this council requests His Excellency the Governor to make a proclamation under section 27(3) of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 excluding Allotment 63 in approved plan No. D93043, Out of Hundreds (Parachilna), from the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park.

The purpose of the motion is to excise an area of land from the Ikara-Finders Ranges National Park. The park is located approximately 450 kilometres north of Adelaide, it is renowned for its natural and geological significance and is a major part of the South Australian identity. It is co-managed with the Adnyamathanha people and provides a wonderful opportunity for visitors to experience landscapes, wildlife and, of course, Aboriginal traditional culture.

Many honourable members would know that the state government was very pleased to recently have included in the park an area of profound cultural significance known as Sacred Canyon, to better protect its engravings and provide opportunities for cultural tourism. This new land swap builds on other boundary consolidations of the last 10 years, including land that was formerly part of both Commodore Station and Gum Creek Station, whereby owners have had a wish that the stunning ranges should be preserved in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park for the people of South Australia.

The proposal before parliament today is another such undertaking, aimed at consolidating one of our great natural assets. The government and the lessees of Willow Springs Station have reached a mutually beneficial agreement for the exchange of land. I might say that it has been a long time in the making but we have now come to the point where we can sign off. In the south-eastern corner of the park is an area of land that has little conservation value, I am advised, and is better suited to pastoral activities. It abuts Willow Springs Station, a neighbouring pastoral property. This land is to be excised from the park and added to the pastoral lease.

The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 requires parliament to pass a motion before such an excision can occur. Once parliament has given this approval, Willow Springs Station will surrender from their pastoral lease an area of mountain range country which has high conservation and landscape values. This land will then be added to the park. The result of this will be that 1,350 hectares will be excised from Willow Springs Station and added to the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park in exchange for 900 hectares being excised from the national park and added into Willow Springs Station.

In recognition of the tourism operations conducted on Willow Springs Station, the land being added to the national park will continue to be made available to the lessees for tourism activities through the grant of a commercial tourism licence. We are absolutely committed to fostering nature-based tourism offerings throughout the parks system in our state and supporting Willow Springs Station in this way to maintain its tourism products as part of that ongoing commitment.

I therefore commend the motion to the council and thank everyone—and there has been a long list of people involved in the long negotiation to get this desirable outcome—and, as I say, look forward to its speedy passage.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (11:09): I rise to indicate support for this motion. The minister in this place actually gave notice on 24 May last year that he wished to alter the boundary of the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. I would also like to draw to the attention of any potential Hansard readers of our debate that this matter was dealt with in the House of Assembly on 21 June 2017. A number of members spoke, but most particularly the local member, Mr Dan van Holst Pellekaan, the member for Stuart, spoke at length, including on the extensive history, and I think he has done great justice to the record as far as what actually took place.

As the minister has indicated, it has had an extended gestation, both in negotiations between his department and the local leaseholders, as well as staying on the Notice Paper in this place for some time while those negotiations continued. It is pleasing that those matters have been resolved. This is one of the practices that is available under the National Parks and Wildlife Act to alter boundaries of a conservation park, which requires a resolution of both houses of parliament.

The Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park is approximately 450 kilometres north of Adelaide. The pastoral property Willow Springs Station neighbours the south-eastern boundary of the park, and the government has been in negotiations to exchange an area of the conservation park called Appealina paddock, which is 900 hectares, for an area of the pastoral property known as block 101, which is 1,350 hectares.

Whilst block 101 contains significant intact biodiversity and scenic values, the Appealina paddock is better suited to pastoral activities. I understand that, for many years, Willow Springs has utilised the four-wheel drive management track on block 101 for nature-based commercial tourism activities, and DEWNR has stated that it will maintain support for the station to continue to access the track for tourism purposes, providing the station holds a commercial tour operation licence.

Once this parliament has considered the excision of land from the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, the addition of land to the park will proceed through the Pastoral Board. I commend the negotiators, the leaseholders, Mr Brendan and Carmel Reynolds, and DEWNR and wish to proceed with the motion forthwith.

Motion carried.