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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-10-18 Daily Xml
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MARINE PARKS

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:36): Member for Light, I commend you on your words about the service clubs. I am also very lucky to have a lot in my area and I recognise the wonderful contribution they make. I have been asked to become a member of a Rotary Club in my area; it is just a bit hard to find a Wednesday night that I am actually in the area to go, but we will see.

I wish to talk about marine parks. It was a very emotive topic yesterday as part of question time. It was also emotive because there were so many people in the gallery who are directly affected by it. They wanted to be here to show the concern that they have and to try to convince minister Caica to undertake some reviews, particularly as it relates to Marine Park 14, which I am interested in, but also the total 19 marine parks that exist around South Australia.

Marine Park 14 is the upper Gulf St Vincent. It is based around the Port Wakefield community. Port Wakefield is a town that many people drive past and few drive into, but it does have a very interesting history, and seafood and fishing is an important part of that history. The very first time I doorknocked there before the 2006 election one of the more interesting conversations I had was with a professional fisherman. I have had a lot more dealings with his son since, who is also a professional fisherman, but these people are raising a lot of concerns, and with justification.

I put on the record my appreciation of the fact that minister Caica, as part of the debate that occurred yesterday during question time, indicated his willingness to meet with representatives of the Port Wakefield community. That discussion did happen immediately after question time in his office, where he was kind enough to allow six people and myself to go in. It was obvious that the minister was aware of the variety of submissions that are coming in about Marine Park 14 and the concerns that they have. He was able to quote some of the comments that have been put to him in those submissions. He was good enough to listen to the concerns and I hope that minister Caica recognises that this is not just a small group of radical people that just want to put extreme views out there.

This is a group of people that are truly representative of the Port Wakefield community who have great concern about the future of their community if a very large sanctuary zone at the top of the gulf is implemented, and they do so on the basis of reality. They have been there for generations. They know the impact it will have if that fishing area is lost from both a recreational and a professional perspective. They want to make sure that some balance exists; that, yes, there is a protected area that becomes a sanctuary zone but, importantly, that some of the productive fishing grounds are still available.

As part of the debate that has occurred and the conversations I have had with a lot of people, I have become aware that the potential sanctuary zone will impact on the ability to even dredge the channel there. Without the channel, people cannot even get in and out. I have had one person put to me that, if that is allowed to happen—and the channel has had to be dredged four times in the last 100 years; it does not happen every year, but it does silt up—the 'Port' part of 'Port Wakefield' will be lost and it will just become 'Wakefield'.

These are people who want to do things in the area. They want developments to happen. They want the town to grow and the school to continue to thrive and exist. They respect the fact that it has to do so on the basis that it is a community that is open for business. They fear that the loss of a fishing area through this sanctuary zone will be a big contributor to that business opportunity being lost and that therefore the town will suffer enormously.

Port Wakefield is not just the place that we go into to get a quick meal or to fuel up our cars. It is a town. It is a town that has pride in itself, it has facilities that it uses, it has sporting and community groups there, and it has a strong history built around the sea and as an important port more than 150 years ago when mineral exports were taken out of there.

I hope that the minister actually starts to recognise the impact that it is having. He did give head nods to the people when they made their presentation to him yesterday. He talked about his own experiences in Port Wakefield as part of his route in travelling down to other different fishing areas, and it was not just the fact that it was a quick stop so that he could collect what he needed and go. He would actually go into the town and go and sit down by the wharf and look at the place.

Minister Caica understands it. Minister Caica, can I say to you now that the community really does hope that part of the consideration that you gave yesterday translates into a change of position. They understand the uniqueness of the mangroves areas and the breeding ground and that environmental areas need to be protected, so that is why they are supportive of a sanctuary zone but just one not as large as the one being proposed; unless there is a change, there will be a devastation.

They hope that the minister recognises that the local advisory group proposal, submitted on 5 May last year, was a more sound judgement based upon community meetings that had been held, and feedback and investigation on the scientific and the unique bottoms that exist there. They want to see some balance.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Hon. M.J. Wright): The ever-popular member for Taylor.

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