South East Natural Resources Management Board

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:21): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation a question about the South East Natural Resources Management Board.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: In April this year, the South East Natural Resources Management Board decided to abolish the fee-for-service weed control program. This decision has been met with concerns from local farmers and has run contrary to the findings of an independent report that the board commissioned. This report, written by Mark Priadko in March 2016, clearly concluded that the service should be retained because it is valued by landowners and achieves successful environmental outcomes. More importantly, the fees charged largely cover the cost of delivering the program. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why has this practical program been abolished?

2. Are there plans to reinstate the program?

3. How will the South East Natural Resources Management Board be tracking the effectiveness of weed and pest control to ensure that the abolition of this program does not lead to an outbreak of pest species?

4. What environmental measures will the government put in place to safeguard major food production in the South-East?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:23): I thank the honourable member for her most excellent question.

An honourable member: Good question.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: It is a very good question indeed, because it allows me the opportunity to put to bed some of the false stories that have been put about in relation to this matter. It is no surprise that people have an objective sometimes to muddy the waters with their own false position, but in fact when you understand what the NRM board has decided to do—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: You're an expert.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Unlike the Hon. David Ridgway, who thinks he is an expert in everything, I actually wait for experts to give me advice. This is a decision taken by the NRM board after much consideration.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Will the honourable Leader of the Opposition desist. The minister is on his feet and he wants to give an answer.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I could start again, Mr President, but perhaps I shan't. The South East NRM Board has resolved, as the Hon. Jing Lee said, that it will cease its provision of fee-for-service spraying for declared pest plant and weed control, a position that the board has had for a period of time now.

It was a quirk, I think, of the amalgamations that the board put itself up in direct competition with local businesses that were providing this service. The board probably realised that was not the best position for it to be in, in competing with private enterprise in weed spraying. If that is the Hon. Jing Lee's view, that the NRM boards should be taking away business from private providers of the service, good luck to her, but the board decided it wasn't appropriate.

The board has determined that it will work towards using suitably qualified private contractors, that is, paying for private contractors or business providers to undertake declared weed control under the NRM Act's statutory obligations that the board has. The on-ground operations will be contract managed, I am advised, by Natural Resources South East. Natural Resources South East authorised officers will now focus instead on engagement, education and compliance, as described in the NRM Act, rather than on providing weed spraying services themselves directly.

The authorised officers will therefore engage in activities, increase awareness and provide technical advice to support improved landholder management of declared species. A transition plan, I understand, is being developed to apply from 1 July this year. This plan will be implemented by Natural Resources South East and monitored by the board, so they have that in hand. The plan will provide a reasonable time for former clients to make arrangements to have the service provided by the local spraying contractors in the South-East.

Natural Resources South East is currently seeking input, I am advised, from key stakeholders about that transition, and the board's program for pest animal control will remain unchanged, including fox and rabbit control services, which will still be provided on a fee-for-service basis, because there is no real alternative in the private sector, as I understand it, for the level of service being provided for those issues. Also, I am told that a specialised licence is required to prepare 1080 baiting.

I am surprised the Hon. Jing Lee would come into this place and say that the government should be providing services in direct competition with private contractors out in the South-East.

An honourable member interjecting:It's a bit odd.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: It is a little odd. Perhaps she might want to think about that again before she asks such a question in the future.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!