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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-03-09 Daily Xml
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NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE: ANNUAL REPORT

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.P. Wortley:

That the report of the committee, being the annual report for 2009-10, be noted.

(Continued from 23 February 2011.)

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (17:19): Once again, Mr Acting President, I get to speak to and support a motion that you have put to this council. The annual report of the Natural Resources Committee covers a period of time that was largely taken up by the previous committee. As I said in the previous motion, the portion of time with the new committee was occupied somewhat by waiting until after the parliament resumed following the election, and there was also a transition period for staff appointments and another transition period while the committee was expanded from seven to nine members.

It is appropriate to mention that some of the changes in the staffing of the committee resulted from the retirement, following the election, of Mr Knut Cudarans, a man who has served committees of the parliament for a number of years. He served the Environment, Resources and Development Committee when I was on that committee some years ago. He is someone I knew many years ago as a fellow traveller on the train from Gawler to Adelaide. I note the service to the parliament and to various committees of the parliament by Mr Cudarans.

I note that the Hon. Steph Key, the new chair of the committee, and the Hon. Mr Wortley (the current Acting President) are the only ongoing members of the committee, and I note their continuing commitment to the work of the Natural Resources Committee of the parliament. It is worthwhile mentioning the efforts of the former chair, the Hon. John Rau, who has now moved up to the lofty heights of Deputy Premier, and other former members of the committee who are no longer serving in the parliament: the Hon. Graham Gunn AM, the Hon. Caroline Schaefer, the Hon. Lea Stevens and Mr David Winderlich, formerly a member of this house. The work they undertook on a wide range of inquires took them not only within the boundaries of South Australia but right up and down the Murray-Darling Basin.

The very latter part of the reporting period saw the increase in the size of the committee, as I mentioned earlier, from seven to nine members, and that includes six members from the House of Assembly and only three from this house. While the committee is working very well together, it is of concern to me that we have now created a precedent where a joint house committee has two-thirds of its numbers from one house and only one-third from this house, and I hope that is not something that is repeated.

There are some of our number who do not like joint house committees, but the strength of joint house committees is exemplified when there are equal numbers from each house. While I do not think that the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, the Hon. Mr Wortley and I feel that we are being outnumbered at all, I regret that we have gone down in that manner on the membership of such a large committee.

Having said that, I commend the former committee for doing almost all the work covered in this report and certainly look forward to the continuing work of the committee in a range of areas. I must say that one of the most enjoyable committee trips I have ever done was the one the committee did last year into the arid lands. It was very informative, and I commend the South Australian Arid Lands NRM Board for the way in which they gave us every opportunity to see the work they are doing in that very sensitive and important part of the state. I support the motion.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (17:25): I thank all the contributors to this motion, in particular the Hon. Mr Dawkins. I will say this: the committee works in a way so that we try to reach a consensus and it is not politicised, and we seek good outcomes. I endorse the motion and seek the endorsement of members.

Motion carried.

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