Crown Land Shacks

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (15:34): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Human Services representing the Minister for Environment and Water a question about shacks on Crown land.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: The Greens have been copied into some correspondence between a representative of a group of shack owners and the minister in relation to a dispute over shacks on Ewe Island in the Coorong. The land in question is Crown land. It is subject to a registered perpetual lease. Leaving aside the merits of the dispute between the shack owners and the Crown lessee, which I expect will end up in court, the correspondence includes some particularly alarming allegations. These include illegal construction of a roadway through a national park; unauthorised earthworks; unauthorised building demolition; unauthorised building construction; illegal burial of demolition materials, including asbestos; and unapproved wastewater disposal.

My question to the minister is: can the minister confirm whether all relevant planning and environmental laws have been complied with in relation to developments on Ewe Island? If not, what steps will he take to ensure that the laws are complied with?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:35): I thank the honourable member for his question and for his interest in this area. Shacks are obviously an area that we have debated in previous parliaments numerous times. I will take those questions on notice and refer them to the minister in another place and bring back a response.