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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-13 Daily Xml
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Motions

Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (11:28): I move:

That this house requests His Excellency the Governor to make a proclamation under section 27(3) of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 excluding allotment 63 in approved plan No. D93043, Out of Hundreds (Parachilna), from the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park.

To provide some brief background to this matter, the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park is renowned for its natural and geological significance and is a major part of the South Australian identity. The Department for Environment and Water has reached an agreement with the lessees of Willow Springs Station, a neighbouring pastoral property, for an exchange of land between the Willow Springs Station pastoral lease and the national park.

This exchange proposes that Willow Springs Station surrender approximately 1,350 hectares for addition to the park. This parcel contains significant intact conservation values as well as quite stunning scenic ranges. Inclusion of this parcel in the park will reinforce the park's national significance. In exchange, an area of approximately 900 hectares, known as the Appealina paddock, is proposed to be excised from the park for inclusion in the Willow Springs Station pastoral lease. The excision will result in minimal impact on the park as the area consists mainly of degraded land systems; however, this provides good grazing opportunities for Willow Springs Station.

A deed was signed between the former minister and the lessees of Willow Springs to give effect to this commitment to exchange the land. To allow this land exchange to proceed, the Appealina paddock must first be excised from the park. An alteration to the boundary of a national park where land ceases to be included in the national park requires the resolution of both houses of parliament. This matter was considered by the previous parliament last year and approved; it gained bipartisan support. However, the land swap was not able to be concluded ahead of the state election in March 2018. As a consequence, the Appealina paddock is still contained within the national park.

On advice from the Crown Solicitor, a fresh resolution is required because the effect of the prorogation and dissolution of parliament was almost certain to cause the previous resolutions to lapse. Parliament is therefore asked today to provide a fresh resolution supporting the proposed excision, following which the Governor can be asked to make the required proclamation formally giving effect to the alteration of the park's boundaries. The agreed area from Willow Springs Station can then be added to the park. I commend this motion to the house.

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (11:31): I am the lead speaker on this side of the chamber on this motion. I wholeheartedly support and endorse the motion and thank the government for bringing it forward.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (11:32): I will be quite brief. This is an issue that affects my electorate and my constituents. It is important to recognise that it has been going on for 20-plus years. I also think it is very important to recognise the genuine concern and stress that it has had on the Reynolds family, Mr Brendan Reynolds in particular. Discussions with the government about this arrangement were commenced by his father.

I want to put on the record the fact that I know he is dissatisfied with this outcome—I recognise that. It has been going on for 20 years. I also believe it is important to put on the record that Mr Reynolds has agreed to this outcome twice in writing previously, and it also passed through both houses of parliament in the last session of parliament. So it is really not possible for this house, this parliament, this government, the minister or me to do anything other than what has happened here.

I would like to point all members to the speech I made on this issue in the last term of parliament when I went into a lot more detail. I will not go through all that again now, but let me just acknowledge the fact that no better way forward has been determined by all the people who have been collaboratively negotiating on this for a very long time. While Mr Reynolds has agreed to it twice previously in writing, I know that he is still dissatisfied with the outcome, but this land swap is going to go ahead.

I know that I and the government will do everything possible to help Mr Reynolds, his family, the Willow Springs pastoral venture and the Willow Springs tourism venture to succeed into the future. They are an outstanding family. It should be said that they have an outstanding two-pronged business. I know that they have a wonderful future and I know that, with the confirmation and the implementation of this agreement, they still have a wonderful future.

Motion carried.

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