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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-10-28 Daily Xml
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BANKSIA ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS

Mr KENYON (Newland) (14:27): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. What national recognition has been bestowed upon the efforts of South Australians in the battle to ensure the survival of our iconic Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region?

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: That question was full of comment and I think it is totally out of order: standing order 97.

The SPEAKER: The question has been asked; you have made your point.

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (14:28): I thank the member for his question and acknowledge his very keen commitment to all matters that relate to our environment. I am very pleased to inform members that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was recently recognised in two significant categories at the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards ceremony.

Russell Seaman, the environmental manager of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Program, was named the Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the Year. The department's outstanding program (Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth—a government/community partnership to ensure a future for the Lower Murray) was named the winner of the Land and Biodiversity—Preserving our Ecosystems category.

The Banksia Environmental Foundation is a national not-for-profit organisation that promotes environmental excellence and sustainability through its awards program. The foundation's annual awards are considered to be Australia's most prestigious environmental awards.

The 2010 Banksia Awards ceremony was conducted in Sydney on Friday 15 October. Russell Seaman was nominated in the category Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the Year for the central role that he played in developing innovative and visionary solutions to the threat posed by drought and associated issues to the environment of the Murray-Darling Basin and specifically to South Australia's Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region.

Mr Seaman's role as manager of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Program, and his efforts in the specific areas of acid sulfate soil management, the management of Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert, and the Goolwa Channel Water Level Management Project have been outstanding, and this award is greatly deserved.

The Land and Biodiversity—Preserving Our Ecosystems award is presented to the entry that has been deemed by the judges to demonstrate leadership and innovation in protecting and enhancing land systems, soils, forests and biodiversity, and protecting individual native flora and fauna species to complete ecosystems.

With the Murray-Darling Basin having experienced the worst drought since records began in 1891, the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth program was created to address the environmental challenges confronting the region where the River Murray meets the ocean. Those issues include: salinity, acidification, soil erosion, loss of habitat and risk to many species. The federally-funded Lower Lakes Bioremediation and Revegetation Project is one of the key initiatives being implemented in conjunction with the local community to help secure a healthy and sustainable future for the region.

In partnership with the Milang and Districts Community Association, the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority, the scientific community and other government agencies, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is developing and implementing the best options to stabilise the ecosystem, help manage acid sulfate soils and improve biodiversity. The department's commitment to a partnership approach was recognised by the judges, who commended the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth project for establishing true cooperation across the local community and a range of national, state and local organisations.

I am sure all members will join me in congratulating Russell Seaman and the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth team on winning these prestigious awards. Their commitment to developing innovative solutions in partnership with the local community to secure a healthy, sustainable future for the Coorong and Lower Lakes region is to be commended. These prestigious national awards are also a recognition of the steadfast commitment of the Rann government to implementing effective freshwater solutions to ensure a sustainable future for this iconic region.

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