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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-13 Daily Xml
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South East Coastal Lakes Review

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (14:56): My question is to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water. Has the minister received correspondence from CHASA inviting the minister and the department to a public forum being held in Millicent on 14 July regarding concerns in the community about the South East Coastal Lakes Review and the proposal by the Department for Environment and Water to proclaim these lakes under the national parks act?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) (14:57): To answer your question simply, yes, I have received that correspondence. I received it directly into my parliament address—which I am only able to log into infrequently due to a peculiar incompatibility between being on the SA government account and the parliament account at the same time, but we won't go through that trying experience here in question time. However, I believe that there has also been a letter that has gone through to the ministerial office for consideration. I am not yet sure whether I will be free for 14 July, but I am having a look at that.

Just to give some context for why CHASA might be getting in touch, when the previous minister was in charge there was a decision taken to have a look at all of those coastal, lake and landholdings down in the area to see whether the right tenure of land was over each one of them. So that work was well underway when I came into government and, in fact, I think there was an interview I did on the radio not long after coming in where my shadow had suggested that I would be putting it on hold, but in fact, as with the previous answer from the Minister for Education, if something is happening that seems to be a reasonable proposition, just because it has come from the other side there is no need to call a halt to it immediately.

That work had some targeted consultation initially and then through that process has come up—and particularly some work with First Nations. The first briefing I had was very much about First Nations engagement and the importance of getting that right. Now the department have come up with a proposition about how they think the land allocation should work and, indeed, some parts of land are proposed to go into the national park system. That has come to me simply to say that they are going out for public consultation now. So there has been no government decision taken as yet.

It seemed to me entirely reasonable that something that started under the previous government and continued under ours, being led by the experts in the department, ought to go out for public consultation. I appreciate that there are some concerns being raised by CHASA on the basis that they are concerned that that might constrain some of the access to hunting habitat, but it seems to me it is best to let the process go and allow that public consultation to occur.

I have no particular objection to attending, but if I am not able to attend there will be, I am sure, departmental people there. I will also be very pleased to hear how the discussion went and what the proposition has been from the community, and then once all of that is consolidated we will make some decisions. As members might be aware, if we do add to the park system that requires coming through parliament, so there will be plenty of opportunity for people to express their views.

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