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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-02-29 Daily Xml
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MARINE PARKS

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:25): I picked up on some comments yesterday from the member for Goyder during the Address in Reply in relation to the marine parks debacle that has permeated South Australia for the last umpteen years. It is interesting to me to note that one of the first things the Premier did was to back off at about a thousand miles an hour from the marine parks. Quite clearly, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has made an absolute, total and catastrophic mess out of this. They stand condemned over the way they have treated the people of South Australia but, more to the point, the fact is that they operate under the minister of the day. With the Department of Environment, you could well question that from time to time.

It is rearing its head again in my electorate and, from the information I have from other members around the coast, it is rearing its head again there. I know that on both sides of the water in my electorate, people are anxious about this matter. Some Kangaroo Island people have organised an action group to pick up the cudgels on this yet again, and I suspect that is going to happen quite quickly down on the Fleurieu and around the eastern and western Fleurieu.

Premier Weatherill has clearly understood that this is an absolute, total and catastrophic loser for the Labor Party, for the government. It is a disaster. Fortunately, there are a couple in the Weatherill Labor government who have the intestinal fortitude, particularly minister O'Brien, to take these people on and call them to some sense of order. The longer the government fools around with this and does not bring it out, the angrier people will be. As the Premier well knows, we are two years out from an election; people have not forgotten how they were hoodwinked by this devious department with the nonsense it has permeated. I am pleased that minister O'Brien, as Primary Industries Minister through the fisheries, actually picked it up and took it on and gave the department a good belt around the ears because they certainly needed it.

The reality is also that this matter of the sanctuary zones is something intensely close to my electorate's and other electorates' hearts, and they are not going to put up with some clandestine operation going on behind their backs which is going to be dumped on them possibly in the next few months. We do not know. Certainly, they come to both my offices—my main electorate office in Victor Harbor and my smaller electorate office at Kingscote—and they want to know what is going on. They are building up a head of steam, they do not like it and they think this government is sneaky and devious, and they are probably right on a number of occasions.

They do not like what is going on. They want some clarity about it. By and large, they have put forward a multitude of views on the sanctuary zones. I remind the house that the Leader of the Opposition, Isobel Redmond, said that in government we would can the sanctuary zones. She said that at a public meeting at Burnside, and that is on the record. I do not know where they are going with this. I do not know what subtle plots are taking place in departmental offices. Some people have gone out of the department who were probably in it up to their ears who have moved on to other positions. However, it is no good. It never was any good.

I suppose I have to be a bit careful about what I say here but I will say that it was a dog of an idea. It was an absolute dog of an idea that they tried to put across to the state. People are not that silly. The tens and thousands of people who want to go fishing, both professionally and recreationally, are not that stupid that they are going to fall for the three card trick and be hoodwinked by this government when eventually they come up with some sort of outcome.

Mrs Geraghty interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: Well, you know, member for Torrens, if you want to get up and have a go, you have a go after me. Feel free. I tell you I am on a winner on this one, so are the members for Goyder, Flinders and MacKillop, and the list goes on.

Members interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: The member for Chaffey said he is a winner, too, but he does not have any sea water where he is as far as I know. This thing is not going to go away. I urge minister O'Brien to continue to take it up in cabinet and belt these fools around the head at every opportunity and come up with some sensible outcomes.

Mrs Geraghty interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Torrens will behave. You may be the first person to leave. Member for Ashford.

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