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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-09-28 Daily Xml
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Wild Dog Management

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:47): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation a question about wild dogs.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: In April, the federal government drought support program concluded, thereby ending the only form of funding—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Brokenshire has the floor.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: Thank you, sir—that had allowed the employment of a wild dog trapper in South Australia. Since this funding ceased, Livestock SA has been calling on the state government to provide the necessary funds—about $300,000—to employ two wild dog trappers, which would help ensure that wild dogs do not continue to move further south.

I am advised that, without a dog trapper, the wild dog population would continue to grow both inside and outside the Dog Fence, and we could see them move south into areas such as the Mount Lofty Ranges and even places like Croydon, Cheltenham and Mile End. The appearance of wild dogs in peri-urban and residential areas would cause havoc, to say the least. My questions for the minister are:

1. Does the minister agree that the control of wild dogs within the borders of South Australia is the responsibility of the South Australian government? That is a yes or a no.

2. Why is the South Australian government dragging its feet and allowing such an important position to remain unfilled?

3. Where is the state government's commitment to environmental protection and conservation, or do they expect the federal government to continue picking up the bill for this matter?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:49): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. Of course, the answer is already in his explanation: the federal government cut the funding. He said it came to an end, but you know that is semantics. The fact is the federal government cut the funding for these positions. You have the Liberals over there on the opposition benches, spinelessly refusing to stand up for our state and take on the commonwealth government, saying, 'Reinstate that funding, please, commonwealth government.'

They are going to see their good friends. The Hon. David Ridgway could utilise his position of leadership and go to see his good friend Christopher Pyne, the member for Sturt, and say, 'We really need you to reinstate this funding.' But what has he done? Nothing. Now we have the Hon. Mr Brokenshire coming into this place, raising his concerns about the federal government not funding this program, and the Liberals opposite just want to let the federal government off the hook. What spineless behaviour is that? Again, they are not standing up for South Australia. They find it impossible, as Liberals, to stand up to the federal Liberal government.

I can tell you, Premier Jay Weatherill never had that problem in standing up against the federal Labor government. When it was in the interests of our state, he was there standing up all the time. Steven Marshall, Liberal leader, member for Dunstan, is never there standing up for South Australia. Never. He will never ever stand up against the federal Liberal government because it is not in his nature. He is the creature of the member for Sturt. He was created by the member for Sturt and he cannot go and ask him for anything. So, the Hon. Mr Brokenshire has already answered his own question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The only person who should be speaking in this chamber at the moment is the honourable minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: To give him some further information to arm him, because at least he may join me—the Liberals won't—in contacting the federal government and asking for a reinstatement of the program, we both know, the Hon. Mr Brokenshire and I, that the number of wild dogs has increased in range land areas south of the Dog Fence in recent years, threatening the state's sheep industry.

The state government takes the matter of wild dog management very seriously, and considerable investment is made in managing wild dog populations. The state government and the South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resources Management—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Have you finished your answer, minister? The actual behaviour of many in this chamber at the moment is really less than desirable.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: No, it is not a matter of view. The fact is—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: I am not here to debate it. I am here to give a direction. I do not want anyone else to talk. While somebody is on their feet, nobody should interject. You hadn't finished, minister?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: The state government and the South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board believe that the best solution for wild dogs in the region is a long-term strategic approach that requires a long-term federal funding agreement. Although short-term approaches to wild dog management can be effective, the SAAL NRM Board believes that the most successful arrangement for wild dog management comprises both service delivery and compliance and best practice activities.

Inside the Dog Fence, the SAAL NRM Board is leading initiatives to improve wild dog control through the Biteback program. The SAAL NRM region's Biteback program is jointly funded by the SAAL NRM Board and the South Australian Sheep Industry Fund. Commonwealth funding has also assisted program delivery in 2015-16. Drought assistance funding from the Australian government was used to employ a dog trapper during the previous financial year but unfortunately this funding, as I said earlier, is no longer available; it has been cut by the federal government. Alternative funding opportunities are currently being investigated.

Investment in wild dog management remains a high profile issue for the SAAL NRM Board. The board will fund the following wild dog management activities in 2016-17:

the employment of two Biteback officers who will provide wild dog bait injection services for landowners with properties to the south of the Dog Fence. The officers will also support the 22 established community action groups which have local plans that define the minimum levels of landholder participation and wild dog baiting and management;

aerial wild dog baiting activities in areas that are difficult to access by land;

the provision of subsidised dog baits and canid pest ejectors for landholders; and

the provision of training via wild dog trapping workshops for landholders.

Biteback targets the control of wild dogs inside the Dog Fence by coordinating and supporting 22 community-based local area planning groups which were established to undertake district scale control activities. This approach has resulted in a substantial increase in landholder participation rates in wild dog control across the landscape. The biannual bait injection service provided to landholders has been boosted by the installation of freezers to help ensure a continuous supply of baits outside these times.

The state government recognises the success of this important program, and processes are underway to engage a statewide wild dog coordinator to roll out the Biteback program across all wild dog affected regions. This will include northern parts of the Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke, and South Australian Murray-Darling Basin regions. The state coordinator will also implement actions from the forthcoming State Wild Dog Strategic Plan.

The development of the state plan has been overseen by the South Australian Wild Dog Advisory Group as part of its terms of reference. The state plan is the mechanism by which South Australia delivers its contribution to the National Wild Dog Action Plan, and the draft state plan has been circulated for consideration to 18 stakeholder groups, including NRM boards, the Dog Fence Board and Livestock SA. I am pleased to say it is being finalised for imminent release.

Having said that, I again encourage the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, and any Liberals with a spine, to stand up for our state, contact the federal government and ask it to reinstate the funding that it withdrew for the program.

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