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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-05-12 Daily Xml
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NATURAL RESOURCES

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (15:14): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. How critical is the role of community engagement in delivering beneficial outcomes to South Australians through sustainable use of our natural resources?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (15:14): This will excite you, I know. Thank you very much, again, Madam Speaker. I thank the honourable member for his question and, again, congratulate him on his election to this parliament. The sustainable management of our state's natural resources presents all of us with significant challenges, especially in light of predicted population growth and climate change. It is vital that we engage with local communities and industries right across our state to build a solid foundation upon which a sustainably prosperous future can be delivered.

I think all members are aware that our water resources have been under stress, that many of our soils are fragile and that much of our native vegetation has been cleared. What we need to find is a workable balance that manages our natural systems sustainably into the future, that conserves our native animals, plants and vegetation, while at the same time ensuring that the natural resources are appropriately utilised to deliver economic benefits.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: Madam Speaker, I find it interesting, again—and I am not seeking your protection—from the interjections from the other side: are they really interested in our natural environment? Perhaps the answer, given the comment over there, is no.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: Then maybe you might actually learn something if you listen. You might actually pick up something. Our natural environment goes beyond the boundaries of Burnside, member for Bragg. It goes well beyond.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: I am happy for it to keep coming, but—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Bragg!

The Hon. P. CAICA: Getting back to the question, again, I apologise for responding to interjections. This government will, as I hope the opposition will, undoubtedly continue to provide strong leadership in this area knowing that, to achieve the best balance in pursuing both environmental and economic goals, it is critical that we foster greater collaboration across our local communities by ensuring that they are involved at the grassroots level in the delivery of natural resource management projects.

Our local communities, which include NRM boards, local government, various industry sectors and individual enterprises as well as the range of non-government organisations and other committed individuals, each make important contributions in delivering improvements in the sustainable use of our natural resources, and they need to be supported and encouraged. Recently, I announced the availability of grants totalling approximately $1 million provided through the second round of community grants for land, coast and water care projects, and this follows the distribution of more than $1.5 million in the first round of this grants program. The government welcomes the development—

The Hon. M.J. Wright: There's more?

The Hon. P. CAICA: There's lots more, Michael.

Mr Venning interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: Yes, there's more, Ivan. I know you're such a committed person to our natural environment. I know that you've benefited from working with your natural environment, Ivan. The government welcomes the development of community driven initiatives including efforts to reinvigorate the Landcare movement in our state and recognises the critical role played by the regional NRM boards in determining priorities and delivering projects locally.

I also look forward to working closely with peak bodies such as the NRM Council, the Conservation Council, the South Australian Farmers Federation—indeed, my friends in the Farmers Federation—and the Local Government Association in setting broader policy and strategic directions to natural resource management.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: Madam Speaker, you'll be pleased to know that I'm ignoring the member for Bragg. Recently, I visited a number of sites in conjunction with the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: Some of the sites have benefited from funding under previous rounds of the Community Grants program and these visits provided me with a valuable demonstration of the effectiveness of good natural resource management practices in assisting businesses to become more profitable and farms to operate more productively while at the same time improving the quality of the local environment.

What I also saw were some fantastic examples of what can be achieved through engagement with local communities and landowners. For example, about five years ago Mr Barry Windle, a landowner at Balhannah, started fencing off the creek for his property and has since undertaken native vegetation replanting resulting in a much cleaner flow of stream water due to the reduction of livestock disturbance. He has actually rehabilitated that creek bed back to something that has been restored to its natural state. The work was undertaken by local volunteers, whom I commend for their passion and commitment to improving the environment. These local volunteers, as should be the case from government and non-government, were supported by the NRM board's expertise. No doubt—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: That's right. No doubt, replication of projects like this, built on partnerships between landholders and local community members, can make a genuine difference to the state of our natural resources. It is great to see that the success achieved in this initiative has motivated 13 adjoining properties to be part of that extended project. Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I can't hear the minister—

The Hon. P. CAICA: Shall I go back to the beginning, Madam Speaker?

The SPEAKER: —and I am very interested in hearing the minister.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: I am somewhat disturbed by the flippant nature of the opposition on what is a very important issue, and I would have expected better. We do not always need to choose between environmental and economic values. It is clear that, through continued strong government leadership and support for effective local NRM collaborations, we can achieve sustainable development of our natural resources for the benefit of generations of South Australians to come.

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