❓ Hon Jess Beckerling questions the Minister for the Environment regarding Alcoa's exemption order, specifically challenging the significantly higher diameter thresholds for 'significant trees' for black cockatoos at Huntly mine compared to Commonwealth guidelines. The Minister's response emphasizes the context of ongoing environmental assessment.
AnsweredQoN 462Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
Alcoa—Exemption order
462. Hon Jess Beckerling to the Minister for the
Environment:
I refer to Alcoa's
current exemption order of 2023 and also page 28 of the Commonwealth government Referral guideline for 3 WA threatened black
cockatoo species , which states:
For most species of trees, suitable
nest hollows are only found in live trees with a DBH of at least 500 mm.
(1) What justification can the minister
provide for the decision to make the diameter threshold for significant trees
for black cockatoos at Huntly mine 1,500 millimetres for marri and 2,000
millimetres for jarrah, noting that these thresholds are significantly higher
than the 500 millimetres referred to on page 28 of the document referred to above?
(2) What other examples can the minister
provide in WA where the thresholds are set at 1,500 millimetres and 2,000
millimetres for marri and jarrah respectively?
462. Hon Jess Beckerling to the Minister for the
Environment:
I refer to Alcoa's
current exemption order of 2023 and also page 28 of the Commonwealth government Referral guideline for 3 WA threatened black
cockatoo species , which states:
For most species of trees, suitable
nest hollows are only found in live trees with a DBH of at least 500 mm.
(1) What justification can the minister
provide for the decision to make the diameter threshold for significant trees
for black cockatoos at Huntly mine 1,500 millimetres for marri and 2,000
millimetres for jarrah, noting that these thresholds are significantly higher
than the 500 millimetres referred to on page 28 of the document referred to above?
(2) What other examples can the minister
provide in WA where the thresholds are set at 1,500 millimetres and 2,000
millimetres for marri and jarrah respectively?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of the
question.
(1) The conditions of the exemption order
were set in the context of permitting Alcoa to continue operations whilst
reducing risks to the environment from its mining activities while those
activities are being independently assessed by the Environmental Protection
Authority.
(2) The exemption order and its
conditions are specific to Alcoa's mining activities and the unique context of
the Alcoa transitional approvals framework.
question.
(1) The conditions of the exemption order
were set in the context of permitting Alcoa to continue operations whilst
reducing risks to the environment from its mining activities while those
activities are being independently assessed by the Environmental Protection
Authority.
(2) The exemption order and its
conditions are specific to Alcoa's mining activities and the unique context of
the Alcoa transitional approvals framework.
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