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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-13 Daily Xml
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Feral Animal Control

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development regarding feral animal control. What new projects has the Malinauskas government committed to since coming into government to assist with feral animal control—new projects?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:42): I thank the honourable member for her question. I think I have already spoken about this topic on a number of occasions, where, for example, we have had—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —new funding to extend programs, for example, for the important feral pigs initiative on Kangaroo Island.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: In fact, I am very pleased to be able to talk about Kangaroo Island, given that I was there just last Friday.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: Really?

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Point of order, Mr President.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Yes, just last Friday on Kangaroo Island to celebrate—

The PRESIDENT: Order! I have a point of order that I will listen to.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The minister is talking about extension of programs. I asked the minister specifically about new programs.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! There is no point of order. I am sure the minister will address the substance of the question.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: As I mentioned, there was new funding to extend the program on Kangaroo Island because it's a really important program. Members may recall that prior to the terrible bushfires in 2019-20 there was estimated to be between 5,000 and 10,000 feral pigs on Kangaroo Island, and the destruction that they cause not only to agricultural production but also to the environment is incredibly important.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: I note the interjections of those opposite, where they obviously didn't provide adequate funding to complete the program. They provided a couple of years' funding, but they didn't provide adequate funding for the program to be completed. The additional funding that the Malinauskas Labor government has announced will enable that program to continue to ensure that those last few pigs, which are now down to four or fewer—so from 5,000 to 10,000 prior to the fires, down to an estimated number of less than four now, which is incredibly important. So the ongoing surveillance and the ongoing certification in terms of making sure that those final few pigs are eradicated is going to be enabled because of the additional funding that the Malinauskas Labor government has provided.

I have spoken on a number of occasions about other feral pest control programs, and I would refer members to my previous answers on those topics.

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