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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-09-26 Daily Xml
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NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT GRANTS

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the house about his recent announcement on the natural resources management community and volunteer support grants?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:10): As you know, sir, ensuring the healthy, sustainable and environmentally sound management of our natural resources would not be possible without the immense support we receive in this task from the various community groups in our state and, most importantly, our volunteers. In recognition of this, on 5 April 2013, I announced the availability of $1.5 million in funding through the 2013-14 NRM community grants program and an additional $55,000 through the volunteer support grants program. This was the first time, as I understand it, that these grants were opened concurrently. We did that in order to create some efficiencies in the administration process, and I am very pleased to advise the administration of these grants has been so far a success.

These NRM community grants programs were open to community groups that sought to provide care for local land, coast and water projects, and the volunteer support grant program was open to friends of parks groups and other volunteer groups to undertake projects on land managed by the department.

I am pleased to advise that a total of 106 successful projects have been funded under both these programs in areas and places right across our state. The projects are diverse and so too are the communities that have been successful in their applications. The full list is available on the website for members to peruse, and I did write to members in the other place, I think, about these projects awarded within their electorates. Nevertheless, I will take a few moments to share a few innovative projects occurring in and around the state for the honourable member's benefit.

The Aberfoyle Park Primary School campus has been awarded $7,200 to begin the establishment of a bush tucker foods program. This is the first stage in their four-year plan to educate students about bush tucker and native plants, and I understand the school intends to develop a campus environmental education program that will enable hands-on activities in this garden.

Another successful group, the Buffel Busters group, intend to target their latest efforts in the Roxby Downs area and have been awarded $29,350 for their efforts. This money will support a works coordinator to work with the Roxby Downs Environment Forum, local schools and community groups to coordinate and develop weed information brochures and signage. They will also organise the mapping of new infestations of buffel grass and other weeds and follow-up treatments, and encourage volunteer involvement for monthly working bees and events.

Birdlife Australia received three separate grants for work in various places across our state. They will use one grant to work with school students in the South-East to help build habitat for the south-eastern black cockatoo, and another grant to promote and support community monitoring of beach nesting birdlife across the Coorong, Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.

Lastly, another project I would like to share with everybody is the Friends of the Ferguson Conservation Parks Stonyfell Creek restoration project. They have been successful in receiving $30,000 to continue their works on the Stonyfell Creek begun two years ago. The rehabilitation of the creek will restore the eroded riparian environment and mitigate against further damage resulting from increased water flows in the creek from urban areas and flooding rainfall events.

These events give the chamber a diverse picture of the various projects being run by committed community groups and volunteers right across our state. There is no doubt that the quality, amenity, biodiversity and general health of many of our parks and natural spaces would be much worse off without their efforts, and I commend their efforts to the chamber. As I said earlier, if members would like more information on this year's grants or next year's grants round, they can go to the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources website, or indeed contact my office.

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