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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-07-04 Daily Xml
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Marine Parks

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the chamber about how people can engage with our marine parks this winter and how the government is supporting our marine parks system?

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: That was an incisive question.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: It was good, wasn't it? He's very good.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:06): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Clearly, he has thought long and hard about our marine parks and the value that they contribute to our state and wants to hold me accountable to that high degree. I am very pleased—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: I think he was tongue-in-cheek about the question being written by your office, that's what I think he was.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —to hear about his escapades in marine parks, Mr President. As you remember—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: I think he was being tongue-in-cheek.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Dawkins, please allow the minister to answer the question.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: He's a bully, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: Can honourable Leader of the Government please desist from these unwanted remarks.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: I could take offence to that.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: You could—and I think it was very tongue-in-cheek, Mr President, as interjections often are in this place. The state has 19 marine parks and 83 sanctuary zones and they are home to Australia's most iconic species, such as bottlenose dolphins, leafy sea dragons, Australian fur seals, as well as mangrove forests and seagrass meadows.

The South Australian government's creation of a marine parks network is one of the most significant conservation programs ever undertaken in this state. Our marine parks were developed using the best available local, national and international science, and each marine park is zoned to provide for conservation and ongoing community and industry use. While our marine parks are critical for conservation and were developed by experts with access to the best available science, they are also a great asset for our local communities. I am advised that a public perception survey carried out in 2016 indicates that almost 90 per cent of South Australians support marine parks.

Scientists, local businesses, tourists and the South Australian community are getting behind our marine park network. They understand it's not only important for preserving biodiversity, but it's also in our economic interest to do it. That is why it is so incredibly surprising to hear that Mr Steven Marshall, the member for Dunstan and the Leader of the Opposition, has been out in the media having a classic whinge about marine parks. He does have a whinge occasionally about a few things, but you suspect that whinging about marine parks wouldn't really be in his interests, particularly in the electorate of Dunstan.

I would encourage the member for Dunstan to consider the booming shark viewing industry out of Port Lincoln for one, generating $13 million annually, currently employing around 80 people, I am advised, and ready to build bigger boats and create more jobs, all underpinned by our marine park network. It does astound me that Steven Marshall, the member for Dunstan, would proudly declare on 16 June on FIVEaa radio that his party 'worked very hard to scale back the marine park legislation', showing off about his party's position that is not only anti-jobs, anti-tourism and anti-science but also runs counter to the opinion of the vast majority of South Australians (much like his approach to the bank tax) who recognise the value of our marine park network to our economy and our environment and our job creation aspirations.

Despite the negativity of the member for Dunstan and his colleagues, South Australians continue to enjoy visiting our marine parks and will do so throughout this winter. When people think about visiting marine parks, they usually think about summer activities, of course, but there are some amazing things happening under the water in the colder months. Those brave enough to venture out are usually well rewarded. As we speak today, thousands of giant Australian cuttlefish are on their way to Whyalla for their annual migration. Many are there already. Each winter, the giant Australian cuttlefish congregate in the Upper Spencer Gulf Marine Park at Point Lowly near Whyalla to breed—they were last week, when I was there.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Last winter.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Last winter they were there, in fact. Last winter was one of the greatest aggregations, in fact, the Hon. Mr Stephens. This is a visually spectacular event, but also an important scientific phenomenon. The cuttlefish start to congregate in mid-May, but the best time of year to experience them, I am advised, is June and July, when the breeding season is in full swing. Thanks to prime conditions in the gulf, the giant Australian cuttlefish population has been thriving over the past few years. Reports on population size are: roughly 57,000 in 2014, 131,000 in 2015 and 177,000 in 2016.

Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries (EMS) offers guided snorkelling tours so visitors can get close to these creatures and learn about their breeding and migration patterns. Last year, EMS snorkelled with over 180 people, I am told, which brought much-wanted business to Whyalla. The Minister for Regional Development in the other place has put $85,000 towards upgrading the visitor facilities at the cuttlefish aggregation area through the Upper Spencer Gulf and Outback Futures Program. This upgrade will cost about $200,000 in total and includes funding from the Whyalla city council and Port Bonython Fuels and will include improving the viewing area, a new car park, better seating and better signage.

Part of the upgrade, including realigning the road and intersection used in this area, started earlier this year. Works will commence again when the cuttlefish season ends. Winter is not just great for cuttlefish, it's also the time of year to view southern right whales. Between mid-May and early October each year, whales can be found in large numbers along the Far West Coast Marine Park, the Head of Bight, within the Encounter Marine Park in Victor Harbor and Middleton and around the coast. The annual migration of whales to South Australian waters occurs during the cooler months when they mate, give birth and nurse their young. Encounter Bay, off the Victor Harbor coast, is known as a breeding ground for southern right whales. Last year, there were two southern right whales born there.

Some of the state's best vantage points for whale watching are along the Victor Harbor coastline, although I understand that recently a whale was sighted just inside the Noarlunga reef in the last few weeks. That's particularly exciting. Whales can give birth in water just five metres deep, and we do see them very close to shore, occasionally. Last year, around 250 whale sighting reports were made to the South Australian Whale Centre. The Far West Coast Marine Park and adjoining Great Australian Bight Commonwealth Marine Reserve, as well as Encounter Marine Park, all help create a safe place for the endangered southern right whales' breeding and calving and, of course, a place for people to go and look at them in their natural habitat.

Thanks to the collaborative effort between the Whale Centre and the City of Victor Harbor, the Whale Trail now has 14 upgraded educational signs between Goolwa and Waitpinga cliffs for families to learn about South Australia's annual visitors. Whale watching has become one of the fastest-growing nature-based tourism activities in the world. In South Australia, about 400,000 people take part in this activity each year, injecting, I am advised, more than $9 million into the economy.

Of course, there are summer activities in our marine parks that appeal more to those who would rather wait for the warmer months to enjoy our unique aquatic environment—and those warmer months are coming. The Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources' Immerse Yourself summer holiday activity program ran between 18 December 2016 and 31 January 2017. This statewide program aims to encourage people to use our marine parks and learn about our diverse, unique and fragile aquatic and coastal environments.

Activities were held in each region of the state, and they ranged from beach and rock pool rambles to snorkelling tours and seagrass planting days. Over 1,500 people were engaged in activities in and around marine parks in January 2017 through this process, I am advised. These activities aren't exclusive to the Adelaide coastline. Some of our most diverse and pristine aquatic environments are in our regional areas, which is great for locals and for regional tourism.

The Eyre Peninsula region held 10 community snorkelling events through Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries in four locations, from Tumby Bay to Streaky Bay, with 154 people getting their goggles on. An additional 70 people took part in the Sea Country Craft session as part of the Tunarama Festival in Port Lincoln. On Kangaroo Island, 41 volunteers helped with a community seagrass planting event, and the local marine park coordinator held drop-in days near marine parks and spoke to dozens of visitors.

In Northern and Yorke region, the rangers at Innes National Park held rock pool rambles where participants could discover weird and wonderful critters of the intertidal zone. DEWNR's Coastal Connections program ran for two weeks in the South-East, with numerous activities held in and around marine parks at Kingston, Robe, Beachport and Port MacDonnell to showcase the unique and diverse coastal habitats of the South-East region. In the Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges region, Nature Play SA featured Encounter Marine Park as park of the month in January and released their new product, 40 Things to do in Encounter Marine Park, with a social media reach of over 18,000 people.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Point of order, sir: once again, we have had an example of the minister providing an eight-minute response

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: —to an incisive question from his backbench, which was no doubt written by his own office. I ask you to bring him to a conclusion.

The PRESIDENT: Minister, can you please get to the conclusion?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I would have concluded by now, Mr President, if the honourable member had not jumped to his feet. But that just goes to show you that the Liberals hate marine parks. They hate the environment. They want to destroy it. They want to side with big business. The Liberals are against anything to do with the environment. How on earth can the member for Dunstan in the other place live with himself when he talks about trying to pull apart marine parks and marine sanctuaries? This is exactly what the Liberals stand for: the destruction of the environment. It is appalling.

Other marine-themed family activity ideas were promoted through marine parks' websites and National Parks' Facebook. These included visiting the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary or getting involved in the Whale Centre activities and commercial tours in our marine parks. The new beachcombing guide was also released for summer activities, with hundreds given to participants up and down the coast. This guide is a user-friendly resource for the public to identify all sorts of interesting flotsam and jetsam that washes up on our shores.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: A bit of flotsam and jetsam with this answer.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Some of it travels long distances on ocean currents and can be pushed by wind and wave action, carried from offshore islands, reefs and seagrass beds. I think the Hon. Mr Dawkins was reflecting that the member for Dunstan in the other place might shortly be flotsam and jetsam as he is ejected from the leadership of the Liberal Party in due course.

Last summer's program was a huge success. These programs are a great way to inform people about the wonderful plants and animals that live in and along our coastlines. When people are more informed, it means they have a greater awareness of the importance of looking after our coast and the life it supports. By engaging our young people in marine parks, supporting them to develop a relationship with our coast and aquatic environment, we can be hopeful they will have a lifelong interest and commitment to coast protection and marine biodiversity and will stand up to the Liberals when they try to destroy their marine parks.

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