HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-04-05 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

MARINE PARKS

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:44): I wish to speak about marine parks, as did the member for Bragg. This has always been an issue for me and an issue for South Australians. As a member of parliament, I, like every member in the House of Assembly, am here to listen to my constituents and bring feedback to the parliament, and I have consistently done so on this. It has never been a personal issue; however, today, unfortunately, we saw the minister attacking individual members.

I can only presume that the question the minister was asked, from his own side, was written by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and that the answer was also written by that department. I have always defended minister Caica, and I thought we had a good working relationship, but it seems that as of question time today the CEO for department for environment is the de facto minister, and we have a minister who does not sit in the chamber, and I think it is outrageous.

I refer to some comments that the minister made during his answer where he referred to me as: 'when provided with the opportunity to become better informed on the issues, he can embark only on what are cynical and, at times, offensive attacks on the officers who are trying to cure his ignorance'.

A fortnight ago when we had a briefing on marine parks with the department for environment, the minister and the marine parks people, I raised a couple of issues which had taken place in my electorate, one at Seal Bay, where some journalists who went to Seal Bay were put on the carpet by the department for environment there. The chief executive said, 'No, that didn't happen, that wouldn't happen,' and basically tried to put me down and ridicule me. That is fine, I can wear that, I do not worry about that. However, this is the response I received yesterday from the CEO of the department for environment, written on 28 March:

Dear Michael

Re: Seal Bay Incident

I write to you following our briefing last week regarding the Marines Park program in South Australia.

At that briefing, you advised of an incident that occurred at Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, regarding the treatment of a journalist from The Australian. You indicated that after several telephone conversations, the journalist was advised that a commercial fee would be charged to photograph on the beach at Seal Bay.

In response, I said that this would not have happened because I believed that staff at Seal Bay understood the need to promote nature-based tourism on Kangaroo Island and would have facilitated the journalist's success.

I owe you an apology because the events that you described did take place and I was wrong to suggest that your account was inaccurate.

Please accept my apologies. I have followed up the matter to which you referred and I have taken action to ensure that a more cooperative approach will be taken in the future.

The Commercial Sites Manager has also spoken to the journalist involved and apologised for any inconvenience.

Yours sincerely

Alan Holmes

Chief Executive

I use that as an example of the nonsense that has gone on over the last few years, and indeed, the last few months, in relation to this marine parks fiasco, and the total lack of control by the minister over his own department.

The fact is that this department has run around perpetrating nonsense for months and months and months, and when a member of parliament gets up to raise those issues in the parliament they get abused, or if they ring them up on the radio they get abused. It is simply not good enough. It is the ultimate Sir Humphrey, and it is a very clear sign to me and many others that the minister is being totally outwitted by his department. I find it most unfortunate. There is no question that you have unelected, patronising, department for environment personnel running around putting down members of parliament, and preaching to the people of South Australia, telling them untruths.

Mr Pisoni: A weak minister.

Mr PENGILLY: Yes, an extremely weak minister who is not on top of it. We had an excellent briefing from the department of fisheries a few weeks ago where it was made blatantly clear that fish stocks are very well managed, and they are good through individual species. But, what do we have? This morning on the radio we had the Wilderness Society, who are probably fed by the department I would think, saying that fish stocks are in danger, blah, blah, blah. What a load of hogwash. Then, to cap it off, we have this cowardly minister refusing to attend a meeting at Burnside tonight. If it was the 1914-18 war he would be sent a white feather and his department people would be as well.

That is where we are at in this debate. They need to come in and start being honest and transparent, and the minister needs to pull this department into gear. The cabinet needs to pull the minister into gear, and the Premier needs to pull the minister into gear. He is not up to the job. I am very sorry about this, but I have tried to do the right thing, along with other members in this place, and he has totally, absolutely, and completely failed and he is a disgrace to the position of minister in South Australia. I urge the government to do something about it rapidly in the best interests of the marine parks debate, which I do support.

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