HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-26 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

KANGAROO ISLAND

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:52): I wish to return to a subject that I have spoken about before in this place. The government is strong on consultation and I would ask that we all consult on this particular issue to do with Kangaroo Island. We have far too many authorities over there. Indeed, it is time we did something about it. I have been concerned for some time.

The minister for primary industries and I discussed the issue of the development board this morning. Let me say that we have a good development board, we have a good CEO and we have an active board, however, there is some streamlining that could go on to make it fall in under the Kangaroo Island Council.

The Kangaroo Island Council needs to be the lead authority, which brings me to the issue that I want to raise today, and that is the ongoing concerns, worries and problems that are being consistently raised on Kangaroo Island over the direction and role of the Kangaroo Island Natural Resource Board. We thought we had thrashed this through earlier this year.

The board gave a commitment that it would consult widely on water and nothing would be done; however, we have found out lately that that is not the case, it is moving in its own mysterious way. I did try to warn the previous minister that the board she was putting in place was not going to be functional or balanced. She failed to listen and we have the outcome that we have now.

I am of the view that it is time that the Kangaroo Island natural resources board was removed. My view is that we need to replace these boards with democratically elected boards from the population, not boards put in place by the minister of the day. We would have to change the act to do that.

More to the point, in a place as small as Kangaroo Island, we should be able to get something going whereby these authorities fall under the council, we have one CEO, we have one administration and we can sort out the job properly. We are going to have ongoing problems with where the board is going over there. The balance is not right. No one would listen, and now we are getting this fighting and instability going on on the island, which we do not need, over water, possible prescription and whatnot.

Kangaroo Island is in a high rainfall area. We have the ability to harvest vast amounts of water on the western end of Kangaroo Island, produce food and fibre, produce economic activity, but the board seems hell bent, wherever possible, on trying to stop this. They want to pick out individual industries such as forestry and try to stop that. There are 10,000 or 13,000 hectares—I am not sure of the exact amount at the moment—so we have to make it work. We have the capacity to produce all sorts of foodstuffs on the wet end of the island in the west. We have a fantastic capacity to grow potatoes, crops, and all sorts of things.

The issue at the moment is that we have the council on one hand saying that it does not want prescription and controls put in place over water, and we have the Kangaroo Island natural resources board running around doing its own thing—a board that has been put in place by the minister of the day. Whether that be on our side or your side, the fact is that the minister is from your side of the house at the moment.

This board is not working properly; it is not acting in the best interests of Kangaroo Island; it is not acting in the best interests of South Australia; and it is inhibiting and stifling production. It is not listening. It can talk about consultation, but I think it has completely lost the plot. The message that I am getting at the moment is not good, and I fear where this board is taking Kangaroo Island and what it is trying to do.

I would like to sit down with the government of the day. I would like to sit down with the minister for primary industries, the Minister for Environment and Conservation, and a couple of others, and nut this thing out, and put in a special place scenario where, instead of having a multitude of CEOs, boards, committees and dozens of other people running around doing administration, we have one central authority on the island, with these other agencies sitting underneath—whether they are committees of council, or whatever—acting in the best interests of everybody, instead of trying to stifle production and development. I think the time is up, and we need to act. I will be taking this matter further.

On Tuesday, a constituent raised an issue with me about an activity of the board, or certain activities of the natural resources board, and I have written to the appropriate person about that. I understand that the minister is also aware of it. I have also sent a copy to the presiding member of the Natural Resources Committee of parliament. I have had enough, and the people of Kangaroo Island have had enough—all 4,500 of them. It is time for the government to stand up, and it is time for the minister to step in and remove this board; start again and get things rolling properly in the best interests of Kangaroo Island.

I know that there are also problems with boards in other places. I do not have much of a problem on the Fleurieu, but I do have a problem over on Kangaroo Island, and I ask that it be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Time expired.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT