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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-24 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE: LEVY PROPOSALS 2010-11

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (16:09): I move:

That the reports of the Natural Resources Committee on Natural Resources Management Board Levy Proposals, 2010-2011, on Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin and South-East, be noted.

One of the Natural Resources Committee's statutory obligations is to consider and make recommendations on any levy proposed by a natural resources management board where the increase exceeds the annual CPI rise. For 2010-11, the committee received above CPI proposals for all of the seven NRM boards that collect levies. This was a factor of the CPI rate for the relevant period being unusually low at 1.4 per cent, which is less than many boards had budgeted for.

This year the committee chose not to object to any of the proposed levy increases for a number of reasons: first, the proposed increases were generally modest; secondly, the proposed increases were consistent with those flagged in preceding years' budgets; and, thirdly, the committee was generally satisfied that the levies and the work of the NRM boards enjoyed a high level of community support.

I do not intend to run through the boards one by one, but I take this opportunity to speak generally about the committee's experiences with the South Australian Arid Lands NRM Board in 2010. Every year, the Natural Resources Committee aims to visit at least two of the NRM regions to meet the board members and staff and, importantly, members of the local unpaid NRM groups, mainly comprised of landholders from that region with an interest in NRM. This year, members of the committee have been privileged to visit the South Australian Arid Lands NRM region not once but twice, so I will talk briefly about what we found.

The reason we visited the Arid Lands twice is that our first trip in July 2010 was cut short by wet weather which, although we were able to get as far as Arkaroola, prevented us from landing at our other intended destinations, with our plane being forced to turn back to Adelaide. Needless to say, committee members, our NRM board hosts and the landholders we had arranged to meet were all very disappointed. Consequently, members resolved to undertake a return trip to the region as soon as we could, which was early in November 2010.

The Arid Lands NRM region covers more than 50 per cent of the state and includes the Gawler Ranges, Far North, North East and Flinders Ranges. The South Australian Arid Lands region is well named, encompassing both arid and semi-arid lands systems, and it generally receives less than 250 millimetres of rainfall per year. This is even drier than Central Australia, and this 250 millimetres is by no means guaranteed, with many localities often going many consecutive years without rainfall at all.

In spite of this aridity, the region contains a greater percentage of intact ecosystems and natural biological diversity than any other region in the state. These ecosystems are generally characterised by boom and bust, with animals and plants responding rapidly and opportunistically to rain when and where it falls. The region is currently undergoing a boom time ecologically, thanks to local rains and floodwaters from Queensland. While fantastic for indigenous species, this rain-induced boom is a double-edged sword, with pest plants and animals also experiencing a major boost to their population and ranges. Responding to these kinds of intermittent threats from a limited and static NRM budget presents many challenges to the NRM boards.

Members were fortunate to be given an excellent and informative tour of this extremely complex and beautiful region by the officers and presiding member of the South Australian Arid Lands NRM Board. Committee members were all very impressed by the dedication and commitment shown by NRM board management staff. In particular, John Gavin, the General Manager, and officers Janet Walton, Reece Pedler and Travis Gotch all provided committee members with a wealth of invaluable interpretation and information on diverse topics, including rare and endangered wildlife, such as the plains wanderer and the world renowned 'mound springs' of the Great Artesian Basin.

While travelling south along the Oodnadatta track, members observed first-hand a number of these mound springs. For members who have not yet seen them, they are a natural expression of underground waters of the Great Artesian Basin. Over tens of thousands of years, these springs have created characteristic mound shapes, as precipitates and sediments from the springs, together with wind-blown sediments, have built mounds up to 40 metres in height, with the springs perched on top.

Being a veritable oases in the desert, these springs have immense ecological, scientific, cultural and economic significance, and they served as stopping points for Aboriginal trade routes between the Flinders Ranges and Central Australia, as well as providing water for John McDouall Stuart's first crossing of the interior in 1862, the overland telegraph line and the Great Northern Railway. These springs are also key refuges for local flora and fauna and most contain unique species of small aquatic animals not found anywhere else on the planet.

Members heard how these unique wetland environments were variously threatened by Great Artesian Basin groundwater pressure reduction as a result of thousands of unregulated bores; watering and trampling by stock, campers, tourists and off-road vehicles; and water extraction from mining. Members heard that, thanks to the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative providing commonwealth matching funds to cap and regulate hundreds of free-flowing bores, many mound springs close to extinction have been given a new lease of life.

As well as the Arid Lands board's work on mound springs, members heard about its innovative volunteer-run bucket-trapping project, capturing and recording reptiles and other animals that fall down some of Coober Pedy's million or so open mineshafts; best practice soil conservation; road-grading practices for local roads; dingo management along the dog fence; pest camels, donkeys and feral cat projects; and visitor management at Lake Eyre.

The South Australian Arid Lands NRM region that we toured is truly spectacular; however, it presents immense management challenges due to its size and remoteness and associated costs of managing such an enormous area. The committee is currently drafting a report outlining evidence gathered on our trip that will offer recommendations on a number of fronts to try to support the South Australian Arid Lands Board in a number of ways in its management of this critical area.

I commend the members of the committee: the Hon. Steph Key (Presiding Member), Mr Geoff Brock MP, Mrs Robyn Geraghty MP, Mr Lee Odenwalder MP, Mr Don Pegler MP, Mr Dan van Holst Pellekaan MP, the Hon. Robert Brokenshire MLC and the Hon. John Dawkins MLC. Finally, thanks to the committee staff for their assistance. I commend these reports to the council.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:17): I rise to support the motion to note the 39th to 45th reports of the Natural Resources Committee. They are the first reports produced since I have been a member of that committee, and I am pleased to support the comments made by my colleague the Hon. Mr Wortley.

As a new member of the Natural Resources Committee, as a number of others were, it was a very valuable experience to hear the evidence that was presented by all the NRM boards earlier this year. I think they understand the committee's role in relation to the act that has created those boards, and we want to work with them to make sure they provide the NRM services to the areas at the most appropriate cost to the communities. I think it is important that they work with their communities in doing so.

I would like also to support the comments made by the Hon. Mr Wortley in relation to the visits that we made to the South Australian Arid Lands NRM Board region. The first trip was curtailed because of rain to some extent but also because of very thick cloud. There were some amazing features in the Outback that we apparently flew over but we could not see them at all because of that cloud level. However, the second trip was enlightening, and I reiterate the remarks of the Hon. Mr Wortley in thanking the South Australian Arid Lands NRM Board and their staff for the work they did to present the projects and express the desires they have in their vast region.

I would also like to make particular reference to the retiring presiding member, Mr Chris Reed. He has been the presiding member for a large number of years and was previously very much involved in the Eastern Districts Soil Conservation Board. Mr Reed is passionate about the arid lands of this state and it was invaluable to have him with us throughout both of those trips.

Another key feature of the trip that the Hon. Mr Wortley did not mention is that we hear a lot about the water coming into the Lake Eyre system from Queensland, but in the flight that we made from William Creek we actually flew over the Neales and Peake rivers at some great length, and to see the amount of water coming through that system, which I think is the first time for many years, into Lake Eyre from the north-west of the state was quite extraordinary and very enlightening for all of us on the committee.

I join the Hon. Mr Wortley in thanking the Hon. Steph Key for the manner in which she chairs the committee. In taking witnesses she is always vigilant in making sure that we do not run over time, while making sure that the witnesses are given the best opportunity to present their evidence, and I congratulate her on that.

We are a large committee. I believe that the Hon. Mr Wortley and the Hon. Ms Key are the only continuing members from the previous committee, but we have come together pretty well. I am surprised that we have been able to get all nine members together on a couple of occasions, which was always a concern for me. The committee is working well together and I look forward to doing further work in the very near future.

In concluding my comments, I thank Patrick Dupont, who this year has moved from acting as the executive officer of the committee to taking on that position, and also the new research officer, Mr David Trebilcock, who is new to the job but is very passionate about the environment and keen to assist the committee. I commend these reports to the house.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (16:22): Leading on from the comments of the Hon. Mr Dawkins, it was a very informative trip. I have a certain amount of sympathy for the board. We met a number of volunteers of the board who gave us a few stories regarding grading of their roads, a lack of funding and the like, and hopefully our recommendations may help to some extent. I would like to thank the council for its indulgence.

Motion carried.

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