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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-04-01 Daily Xml
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MARINE PARKS

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (16:04): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Environment and Conservation a question about marine parks.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: The need to create a system of marine parks is urgent, but just as important is ensuring that the views of communities that exist near these proposed marine parks are listened to and their expertise and local knowledge taken on board. Will the minister advise the council about efforts to consult with coastal communities in the lead up to the adoption of marine parks?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health) (16:05): I thank the honourable member for his question and ongoing interest in these very important matters. I am pleased to inform the council that I have just returned from a very productive series of meetings in the South-East. The South-East is home to a unique marine environment. Its beautiful Limestone Coast and sandy beaches lie alongside some of the most important fishing grounds in the state. The creation of marine parks will allow those waters to thrive for years to come, and these meetings were the next logical step for marine park planning in the South-East.

Of course much of the planning work for the proposed 19 marine parks that followed the passing of the Marine Parks Bill through parliament is the responsibility of highly capable departmental staff who work very hard and very diligently. The input of locals, with knowledge gained over generations of families, cannot be overstated. Who better to tell us about the changing conditions of local waters than people who have made their livelihood from that area and whose fathers and fathers before them have done likewise?

In many cases they already know the areas that are important to the future of their industry, or those areas that could be in danger of being overfished, so their knowledge is a very valuable resource. For this reason I met personally with representatives from around the region during my visits to Kingston, Beachport, Southend, Mount Gambier and Port MacDonnell, and I am pleased to report that the majority understood the need for marine parks and embraced the idea of sustainability. It just goes to show that many business leaders are showing their green credentials, which is great for South Australia. They appreciate the importance, particularly to those with export industries—and I instance the South-East with its rock lobster exports—of being able to cite clean green waters as a significant potential marketing addition.

Importantly, I was also able to dispel some of the myths about marine parks, including questions on whether permits or licences were required for boats to cross declared sanctuaries or 'no take' zones, such as on sailing journeys from Robe to Adelaide. I was able to assure the people in question that those concerns would not apply to any marine parks introduced by the state government, and that they were 'no take' zones and not 'no go' zones. Just as important in creating a balanced system was the need to meet with local environmentalists, who obviously are pushing a strong conservation agenda. I am pleased to have met with these groups, who are dedicated to the long-term survival of local marine environments.

I also took the opportunity to meet with representatives of the City of Mount Gambier, the District Council of Grant and the Limestone Coast Regional Development Board and local NRM representatives, and it was very clear that we are well supported by many in these groups in local land-based conservation as well as our goal to establish marine parks. One of the lessons from these visits has been the valuable community and stakeholders' place in direct face-to-face discussions with ministers. I took key departmental staff for this reason, and I intend to conduct further trips to regional centres in South Australia to discuss marine parks with other stakeholders and local interest groups.

I have already undertaken a similar visit to Eyre Peninsula, particularly its eastern coast. It is my aim to complete visits to many of the coastal regions in South Australia before the 19 marine park outer boundaries are released for public comment later this year and to assist to raise community awareness in the community about the marine parks program. I will ask DEH officers to conduct further local information days in the lead-up to my visits to the region.

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