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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-13 Daily Xml
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GLENCOE NURSERY

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:41): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Forests a question regarding the Glencoe Nursery.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: The Glencoe Nursery in the South-East, north-west of Mount Gambier, has produced seedlings for ForestrySA and the forest industry generally. It is a significant employer in the Glencoe area. According to ForestrySA annual reports, the nursery has produced 26 million seedlings and cuttings over the last four years. The most recent annual report states:

As part of ForestrySA's genetic strategy, additional investment in seed orchard capacity is underway to ensure the best genetic material is available into the future.

The government tenders website indicates that the Glencoe Nursery is under a service agreement starting on August 2011 and expiring on December 2014. My questions to the minister are:

1. Was the Glencoe Nursery included in the forward sale of harvesting rotations?

2. If not, as Minister for Regional Development, noting the local employment and additional investment that was underway last reporting year, will the government continue that investment despite the forward sale?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:43): I thank the honourable member for his question. My understanding is that the forward sales did not include the Glencoe Nursery. That is unaffected by the provisions within the forward sale agreement, and the provisions around that remain unchanged.

In terms of any future developments, we continue to look at strategic ways to manage our forests, and we need to continue to look for opportunities for further development and suchlike. So I certainly could not stand here today and say that there would be no change at all in the forests that ForestrySA retain.

As I said, it is a very competitive industry out there. It is a very tough industry at the moment, and we continue to look for opportunities and continue to develop our industry in a responsive way to be able to maximise the opportunities ahead. Indeed, the decisions we make are obviously in the best interests of the purview for ForestrySA, and they are obviously looking for long-term, sustainable returns for the state.

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