Mr KNIGHT - 2007-06-20
The Daly River Management Advisory Committee was established over a year ago to develop options for future uses of the Daly River catchment. Can the minister please let us know how the committee is going with this work?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. I know that the Daly River Management Advisory Committee, or DR MAC, as it is fondly known, is certainly an area in which the member for Daly takes a great interest.
As we all know, DR MAC was created to build on the foundations of the CRG report commissioned by our government, looking at the importance of the Daly River region and how critical it is to get things right when it comes to future development in that area.
I take this opportunity to congratulate John Childs who has been the chair of that committee since its inception. John has done a fantastic job of balancing all of the interests of stakeholders who have been on DR MAC, which are the Cattlemen’s Association, AFANT, the Environment Centre, WWF, indigenous and non-indigenous land holders. He has kept all of those stakeholders and interest groups together and focused to look at all the issues.
As I said, the member for Daly has taken a keen interest and I know that he has attended DR MAC meetings a number of times and gone to a lot of the community events that have been held right through the Daly region to consult with various landowners.
Some of the major issues I asked DR MAC to address were particularly vegetation clearing, water management and subdivisions. The clearing issue was given a higher priority because of the moratorium this government placed on clearing in 2003. I am pleased to say that in the last few days I received the first report of DR MAC. I will be discussing it with my Cabinet colleagues, but it gives us a very good way forward for future development in the region. I will update the House in relation to what I believe are some good decisions in due course.
I know the Attorney-General has carriage of Blue Mud Bay, but I fully support our government’s decision in relation to that and what they have taken forward.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. I know that the Daly River Management Advisory Committee, or DR MAC, as it is fondly known, is certainly an area in which the member for Daly takes a great interest.
As we all know, DR MAC was created to build on the foundations of the CRG report commissioned by our government, looking at the importance of the Daly River region and how critical it is to get things right when it comes to future development in that area.
I take this opportunity to congratulate John Childs who has been the chair of that committee since its inception. John has done a fantastic job of balancing all of the interests of stakeholders who have been on DR MAC, which are the Cattlemen’s Association, AFANT, the Environment Centre, WWF, indigenous and non-indigenous land holders. He has kept all of those stakeholders and interest groups together and focused to look at all the issues.
As I said, the member for Daly has taken a keen interest and I know that he has attended DR MAC meetings a number of times and gone to a lot of the community events that have been held right through the Daly region to consult with various landowners.
Some of the major issues I asked DR MAC to address were particularly vegetation clearing, water management and subdivisions. The clearing issue was given a higher priority because of the moratorium this government placed on clearing in 2003. I am pleased to say that in the last few days I received the first report of DR MAC. I will be discussing it with my Cabinet colleagues, but it gives us a very good way forward for future development in the region. I will update the House in relation to what I believe are some good decisions in due course.
I know the Attorney-General has carriage of Blue Mud Bay, but I fully support our government’s decision in relation to that and what they have taken forward.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016