❓ Mr Tallentire questions the Minister for Environment on the delay in allocating funds from the Pilbara Strategic Conservation Fund, while the Minister defends the delay, citing the need for robust governance and prioritisation of environmental outcomes.
AnsweredQoN 981Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PILBARA STRATEGIC CONSERVATION FUND
981. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister
for Environment:
I have a supplementary question. I
have been asking the minister about this for the better part of two years.
There is potentially some $65 million that should be flowing into this fund,
creating jobs and working towards protecting the environment. Why is the
minister still sitting on his hands failing to deliver on this valuable
employment generator and valuable opportunity to reform the environment? Why is
the minister failing to deliver?
981. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister
for Environment:
I have a supplementary question. I
have been asking the minister about this for the better part of two years.
There is potentially some $65 million that should be flowing into this fund,
creating jobs and working towards protecting the environment. Why is the
minister still sitting on his hands failing to deliver on this valuable
employment generator and valuable opportunity to reform the environment? Why is
the minister failing to deliver?
AnswerView source ↗
As I said, by no means are we
sitting on our hands. We are fully engaged in this. That $65 million figure is
a little deceptive as well because that is the potential for all of the
approved projects —
Mr
C.J. Tallentire : So it is $35 million, is it?
Mr
A.P. JACOB : Do not play silly games.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Gosnells, I call you to order for the first time.
Minister, a quick answer.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : What I am saying is that that offset fund is the potential full
due amount for the clearing and the impact. Many of those projects have not
even started yet. That full amount of money will not flow for years, if not
decades, but it represents —
Mr
C.J. Tallentire interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Gosnells!
Mr
A.P. JACOB : It will not even flow in many instances for years, if not
decades. But the existence of that fund and the conditioning—which I
think, given the question, the member clearly agrees with and I think it is a
good approach to conditioning to get large-scale environmental outcomes—also
carries with it the responsibility to ensure that tens of millions of dollars
of offset funds, which is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for environmental
outcomes in the Pilbara, is a robust governance framework and is spent towards
the highest priority outcomes. I will ensure that that is the case.
sitting on our hands. We are fully engaged in this. That $65 million figure is
a little deceptive as well because that is the potential for all of the
approved projects —
Mr
C.J. Tallentire : So it is $35 million, is it?
Mr
A.P. JACOB : Do not play silly games.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Gosnells, I call you to order for the first time.
Minister, a quick answer.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : What I am saying is that that offset fund is the potential full
due amount for the clearing and the impact. Many of those projects have not
even started yet. That full amount of money will not flow for years, if not
decades, but it represents —
Mr
C.J. Tallentire interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Gosnells!
Mr
A.P. JACOB : It will not even flow in many instances for years, if not
decades. But the existence of that fund and the conditioning—which I
think, given the question, the member clearly agrees with and I think it is a
good approach to conditioning to get large-scale environmental outcomes—also
carries with it the responsibility to ensure that tens of millions of dollars
of offset funds, which is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for environmental
outcomes in the Pilbara, is a robust governance framework and is spent towards
the highest priority outcomes. I will ensure that that is the case.
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