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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-02-02 Daily Xml
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St Kilda Mangroves

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:54): My question is again to the Minister for Environment and Water. What advice was given by the EPA when government approval was given for the hypersaline brine to be pumped into dried-out ponds at St Kilda in early 2020?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (14:54): I thank the deputy leader for her question. I don't have specific information regarding the advice that the EPA gave to the Department for Energy and Mining at the time, and that is certainly something that I can get for the deputy leader, because—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —throughout this whole process we have made every effort to be highly transparent, to provide as much information to the public, to the opposition, to other parties and also to the conservation sector. At no point has there been any effort not to be forthcoming with information. Any questions that have been asked, we will provide detailed advice as to what science has been used.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: The opposition seems to think that I should have specific information with regard to what information the EPA gave to the Department for Energy and Mining in terms of providing advice to—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the leader!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: This is information that can be readily and easily provided in terms of specifics, but there is absolutely no doubt that the information that was provided by the EPA to the Department for Energy and Mining must have given the Department for Energy and Mining—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —confidence that that licence could be delivered. I really don't know what all the shouting and thuggery and noise from the Leader of the Opposition is about—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: As usual, he doesn't really care about the issue. He just wants to make noise and fuss and anger, anger, anger. Angry Pete just continues into 2021.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: Nothing changes. No new year resolutions to calm down and control the anger and try to listen to a rational explanation. No self-control as usual. The simple situation here is that there is no scandal here—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: There are government departments, there is a ministry, there is a conservation sector and there is an interested public trying to work very hard to slow down any negative environmental impact which has occurred or which is occurring there, and importantly to get restoration to that specific geographical area where the dieback has occurred and, even more importantly, to cast a broader vision for that site working with the experts, with the conservation sector, with the government departments involved to actually create something in that northern coastal area extending out of our city up towards Port Wakefield which we can be proud of from a conservation point of view, from a community recreation point of view and which could also have very substantial benefit as a carbon sequestration zone as well, demonstrating blue carbon.

There is so much we can do in that part of the city, and let's hope that this dieback provides us with the inspiration and a goal to action to deal with that area—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: They laugh. They laugh—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: They had it for 16 years, and the deputy leader has said publicly that they had difficulties managing that site, because it is a complex site: quasi industrial—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —residential, environmental land coming together. This is a difficult area to manage, and this government is managing it, and we want to manage it alongside the opposition. We want to partner with the conservation sector. We want the community to get involved, and we are being as transparent as we possibly can. The invitation has been open to all parties to come forward, to get briefings to understand what we are doing here and how we can work together to get this sorted out.

The SPEAKER: I call to order the member for Wright. I call to order the member for West Torrens. I call to order the leader. I call to order and warn the member for Playford. I remind all members that the member asking the question is entitled to be heard in silence. The minister answering the question is entitled to be heard in silence.

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