Ms LAWRIE - 2004-10-07
Could you update the House on the progress made by the Daly Region Community Reference Group in developing an important draft report to the Northern Territory government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Karama, whose interest in our environment is well known.
The Daly Region Community Reference Group, of which Rick Farley, a man with a very strong national reputation for dealing with complex issues - particularly strong in the environment and indigenous issues - is the chair, was commissioned in December last year. It was to develop an integrated regional land use plan for the two million hectares of the Daly region.
We all know what had been happening. Left untackled by the previous government, the issues concerning the Daly were causing extraordinary controversy and angst in our community. Whether it was the proposal to grow cotton, water allocation, the health of the Daly, or how do we manage competing land use in that area, it was totally ignored by the previous government’s succession of ministers who said: ‘I cannot hear you over these issues’. The concern was so loud, from many different areas of our community, that we acted and set up the Daly Region Community Reference Group.
The group is a cross-section of regional stakeholders and community representatives. They include pastoralists, horticulturalists, local residents, and indigenous Territorians. There are also 12 peak organisations including recreational fishing, AFANT, the Cattlemen’s Association, Territory horticulturalists, Minerals Council, Katherine Regional Tourist Association, Northern Land Council, ATSIC - the list goes on.
As chair, Rick Farley’s task was to tackle the issues associated with the region, have the interest groups represent those issues, and come up with a plan for the future. Rick Farley, not surprisingly, says the issues surrounding the sustainable resource use in the Daly region are extremely complex. We knew that, and the work over the last 10 months has reinforced it.
Rick says land use and water allocation issues are strongly linked to scientific knowledge and, very sadly for us at this stage, that knowledge base is very incomplete. As a result, the group has now advised government that it is not in a position to deliver a draft integrated regional land use plan for the Daly region at this stage. However, it will be making recommendations about an ongoing management and planning process. Unfortunately, it means the integrated land use plan will not be finalised by the end of this year as we were hoping. However, the community reference group’s recommendations will be finalised and presented to government by November.
These recommendations will be released for further public comment to ensure we get maximum community input into where we are going in the Daly region. The Daly Region Community Reference Group is assisting this process and, as you are probably aware, is made up of government experts, together with external experts, scientists and those with a great understanding of the region. This consultative process about the Daly region will be ongoing, as we will not be making important decisions regarding the region until we can be properly informed as to environmental effects of any development.
We have to balance agriculture and horticulture with recreational fishing, tourism, indigenous landholders, and a whole complex range of, sometimes competing or complementary, interests. It is a challenge. We will not have the Integrated Land Use Plan by the end of this year; however, we are not going to rush it. We will have ongoing consultation, and I am confident this government will find an effective and supportive balance for what we do in the Daly region, which will serve the Territory well into the future.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Karama, whose interest in our environment is well known.
The Daly Region Community Reference Group, of which Rick Farley, a man with a very strong national reputation for dealing with complex issues - particularly strong in the environment and indigenous issues - is the chair, was commissioned in December last year. It was to develop an integrated regional land use plan for the two million hectares of the Daly region.
We all know what had been happening. Left untackled by the previous government, the issues concerning the Daly were causing extraordinary controversy and angst in our community. Whether it was the proposal to grow cotton, water allocation, the health of the Daly, or how do we manage competing land use in that area, it was totally ignored by the previous government’s succession of ministers who said: ‘I cannot hear you over these issues’. The concern was so loud, from many different areas of our community, that we acted and set up the Daly Region Community Reference Group.
The group is a cross-section of regional stakeholders and community representatives. They include pastoralists, horticulturalists, local residents, and indigenous Territorians. There are also 12 peak organisations including recreational fishing, AFANT, the Cattlemen’s Association, Territory horticulturalists, Minerals Council, Katherine Regional Tourist Association, Northern Land Council, ATSIC - the list goes on.
As chair, Rick Farley’s task was to tackle the issues associated with the region, have the interest groups represent those issues, and come up with a plan for the future. Rick Farley, not surprisingly, says the issues surrounding the sustainable resource use in the Daly region are extremely complex. We knew that, and the work over the last 10 months has reinforced it.
Rick says land use and water allocation issues are strongly linked to scientific knowledge and, very sadly for us at this stage, that knowledge base is very incomplete. As a result, the group has now advised government that it is not in a position to deliver a draft integrated regional land use plan for the Daly region at this stage. However, it will be making recommendations about an ongoing management and planning process. Unfortunately, it means the integrated land use plan will not be finalised by the end of this year as we were hoping. However, the community reference group’s recommendations will be finalised and presented to government by November.
These recommendations will be released for further public comment to ensure we get maximum community input into where we are going in the Daly region. The Daly Region Community Reference Group is assisting this process and, as you are probably aware, is made up of government experts, together with external experts, scientists and those with a great understanding of the region. This consultative process about the Daly region will be ongoing, as we will not be making important decisions regarding the region until we can be properly informed as to environmental effects of any development.
We have to balance agriculture and horticulture with recreational fishing, tourism, indigenous landholders, and a whole complex range of, sometimes competing or complementary, interests. It is a challenge. We will not have the Integrated Land Use Plan by the end of this year; however, we are not going to rush it. We will have ongoing consultation, and I am confident this government will find an effective and supportive balance for what we do in the Daly region, which will serve the Territory well into the future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016