Mr WOOD - 2004-04-01
Some weeks ago you had a meeting with representatives of the cotton industry. I believe they requested a meeting with you following your statement that no cotton was to be grown in the Northern Territory. Could you please tell the House the outcome of that meeting and whether cotton, or at least cotton trials, will be allowed to continue in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the statements I made mid-last year on the Daly and cotton were ones that I conveyed quite clearly to our community, and conveyed quite clearly to members of the cotton industry. I welcomed their visit and the fact that they were from around Australia and had taken the issue of cotton growing in the Territory very seriously. I explained to them the considerable community concern about growing cotton in the Northern Territory, particularly when it related to the Daly region, and that the Daly region was a very important region for the Territory, and that we needed to plan for its future and we could not plan for its future while we were still talking about growing cotton in the Daly. That decision has been widely supported across the Territory, and certainly acclaimed by many groups. The Environment Centre is one; AFANT, very importantly, is another group which has acclaimed that.
We did say, when that announcement was made, that the CRC cotton trials in Katherine would continue to their finish in two years’ time. One of the reasons that we felt it should continue was that the research being done in Katherine is applicable across that area of Australia. It is also applicable to the Kununurra region. We have scientists who are working in Katherine applying that knowledge in Kununurra. Very different circumstances.
I stand by the decision to say that cotton will not be grown in the Territory, will not be grown in the Daly River region. I applaud all those involved in the Daly River Reference Group, lead by Rick Farley, in actually doing the hard work to plot and create a sustainable future for one of the most important regions in the Territory, the Daly River.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the statements I made mid-last year on the Daly and cotton were ones that I conveyed quite clearly to our community, and conveyed quite clearly to members of the cotton industry. I welcomed their visit and the fact that they were from around Australia and had taken the issue of cotton growing in the Territory very seriously. I explained to them the considerable community concern about growing cotton in the Northern Territory, particularly when it related to the Daly region, and that the Daly region was a very important region for the Territory, and that we needed to plan for its future and we could not plan for its future while we were still talking about growing cotton in the Daly. That decision has been widely supported across the Territory, and certainly acclaimed by many groups. The Environment Centre is one; AFANT, very importantly, is another group which has acclaimed that.
We did say, when that announcement was made, that the CRC cotton trials in Katherine would continue to their finish in two years’ time. One of the reasons that we felt it should continue was that the research being done in Katherine is applicable across that area of Australia. It is also applicable to the Kununurra region. We have scientists who are working in Katherine applying that knowledge in Kununurra. Very different circumstances.
I stand by the decision to say that cotton will not be grown in the Territory, will not be grown in the Daly River region. I applaud all those involved in the Daly River Reference Group, lead by Rick Farley, in actually doing the hard work to plot and create a sustainable future for one of the most important regions in the Territory, the Daly River.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016