❓ Hon Colin de Grussa questions the Minister for Agriculture and Food regarding community support for the biosecurity levy imposed on Boyup Brook landowners, given low response rates and high opposition. The Minister defends the levy and the work of Blackwood Biosecurity Inc, accusing the Shire of undermining their efforts.
AnsweredQoN 1336Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
RECOGNISED BIOSECURITY GROUPS — OPERATIONAL
PLANS — BOYUP BROOK
1336. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Minister for Agriculture and
Food:
I refer to the minister's response to part (5) of
question without notice 1171. Given the level of community objection
demonstrated through petition 160 on the biosecurity levy imposed on residents
of Boyup Brook, tabled in the Legislative Council, the low rate of response
from the Boyup Brook shire area of 1.2 per cent of landowners, and that 83 per
cent of respondents opposed the levy, can the minister outline how the
requirement to demonstrate community support has been met in respect of the
levy imposed on landowners in the Shire of Boyup Brook?
PLANS — BOYUP BROOK
1336. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Minister for Agriculture and
Food:
I refer to the minister's response to part (5) of
question without notice 1171. Given the level of community objection
demonstrated through petition 160 on the biosecurity levy imposed on residents
of Boyup Brook, tabled in the Legislative Council, the low rate of response
from the Boyup Brook shire area of 1.2 per cent of landowners, and that 83 per
cent of respondents opposed the levy, can the minister outline how the
requirement to demonstrate community support has been met in respect of the
levy imposed on landowners in the Shire of Boyup Brook?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I acknowledge that the
Boyup Brook shire has been running a war of attrition against Blackwood Biosecurity Inc. I think what it has been doing is
quite disgraceful. On the occasions that we have written to those
landowners in the Boyup Brook shire, we have had very low response rates.
Indeed, this year when we ran the general
advertisements in the local newspaper we had a total of two responses. We are
aware that the shire has been
actively urging people not to pay their rates, refusing to provide the rating
detail and causing the leadership of this group, who are incredibly
dedicated individuals, volunteers, to reach the end of their tether. Fantastic
work has been done. The BBI was set up under the previous government and it has
done some extraordinary work and had success
with the projects it has run. In the past two years it removed 1 500 foxes. It
has held very successful fox hunts and has been able to get rid of 1 500
foxes. In the past 18 months it has removed 530 feral pigs.
The government will
consider this and will seek to engage with the community. We are not seeing any
of this come out from the correspondence and advertisements, but we
acknowledge that the shire president and former shire president, who has been
putting his petitions in Mitre 10 and wording everyone up to sign them, is
having what no doubt is his desired impact, which is to destroy what has been a
very, very successful organisation since 2014. We will certainly consider the
petition.
Boyup Brook shire has been running a war of attrition against Blackwood Biosecurity Inc. I think what it has been doing is
quite disgraceful. On the occasions that we have written to those
landowners in the Boyup Brook shire, we have had very low response rates.
Indeed, this year when we ran the general
advertisements in the local newspaper we had a total of two responses. We are
aware that the shire has been
actively urging people not to pay their rates, refusing to provide the rating
detail and causing the leadership of this group, who are incredibly
dedicated individuals, volunteers, to reach the end of their tether. Fantastic
work has been done. The BBI was set up under the previous government and it has
done some extraordinary work and had success
with the projects it has run. In the past two years it removed 1 500 foxes. It
has held very successful fox hunts and has been able to get rid of 1 500
foxes. In the past 18 months it has removed 530 feral pigs.
The government will
consider this and will seek to engage with the community. We are not seeing any
of this come out from the correspondence and advertisements, but we
acknowledge that the shire president and former shire president, who has been
putting his petitions in Mitre 10 and wording everyone up to sign them, is
having what no doubt is his desired impact, which is to destroy what has been a
very, very successful organisation since 2014. We will certainly consider the
petition.
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