❓ Mr. Tallentire questions the Minister for Environment about delays in releasing the river protection strategy for the Swan and Canning Rivers, citing a critical Auditor General's report. The Minister acknowledges the need for a strategy but defends current actions and points to flaws in the existing draft.
AnsweredQoN 568Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SWAN AND
CANNING RIVERS — AUDITOR GENERAL REPORT
568. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the
Minister for Environment:
I also refer to the Auditor General's report into the
health of the Swan and Canning Rivers that was released yesterday that had such
scathing criticism of this government's mismanagement of these vital
waterways.
(1) Why has
the minister's office sat on the river protection strategy for two
years when every agency had signed off on it and it had been submitted to the
minister twice?
(2) Will the minister now release this river protection
strategy?
CANNING RIVERS — AUDITOR GENERAL REPORT
568. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the
Minister for Environment:
I also refer to the Auditor General's report into the
health of the Swan and Canning Rivers that was released yesterday that had such
scathing criticism of this government's mismanagement of these vital
waterways.
(1) Why has
the minister's office sat on the river protection strategy for two
years when every agency had signed off on it and it had been submitted to the
minister twice?
(2) Will the minister now release this river protection
strategy?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Mr Speaker —
Mr J. Norberger interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Joondalup!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Joondalup, I call you to order for the second and third times.
Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I do not
want to hear anybody now.
Mr A.P. JACOB : Out
of the 11 recommendations that the Auditor General brought down, I am only too
happy to address the matter of the river protection strategy. Let me first of
all say that it is not the case that the Swan River Trust has currently been
acting within a vacuum. It has already been operating under a range of
strategies including —
Mr C.J. Tallentire :
Why would you sit on that for so long?
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
will get to that.
The SPEAKER : I
will give the member for Gosnells a chance to ask a supplementary question. I
am not prepared to have this constant shouting across the chamber.
Mr A.P. JACOB : It
has not been operating in a vacuum without any strategy or plan to this point.
The Auditor General's report noted the plans the Swan River Trust is
currently acting under, including the ''Swan–Canning Cleanup
Program'', the ''Healthy Rivers Action Plan'', the ''Swan
Canning Water Quality Improvement Plan'' and the ''Better Urban
Water Management'' guidelines of 2008. It is already operating under
four current plans.
Dealing specifically with the river protection strategy, I
acknowledge that that is a requirement. We will deliver a river protection
strategy post its merger with the Department of Parks and Wildlife. As to the
specific draft river protection strategy that the member for Gosnells referred
to, perhaps he should have read on a little further in the report because the
Auditor General's comments found that that draft, and most of its other
plans, did not prioritise the key threats facing the river system or the
actions that would most improve its long-term health. Although the Auditor
General has found that we need a river protection strategy, I recently brought
an amendment to the bill through this house. I deliberately left that clause in
because I acknowledge that we need a river protection strategy, and we will
deliver one. The draft that the member refers to, even within the Auditor
General's own report, was found to have not adequately identified the
key threats. We will deliver an amended river protection strategy following the
Swan River Trust's merger with the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Mr D.J. Kelly interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr J. Norberger interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Joondalup!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Joondalup, I call you to order for the second and third times.
Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I do not
want to hear anybody now.
Mr A.P. JACOB : Out
of the 11 recommendations that the Auditor General brought down, I am only too
happy to address the matter of the river protection strategy. Let me first of
all say that it is not the case that the Swan River Trust has currently been
acting within a vacuum. It has already been operating under a range of
strategies including —
Mr C.J. Tallentire :
Why would you sit on that for so long?
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
will get to that.
The SPEAKER : I
will give the member for Gosnells a chance to ask a supplementary question. I
am not prepared to have this constant shouting across the chamber.
Mr A.P. JACOB : It
has not been operating in a vacuum without any strategy or plan to this point.
The Auditor General's report noted the plans the Swan River Trust is
currently acting under, including the ''Swan–Canning Cleanup
Program'', the ''Healthy Rivers Action Plan'', the ''Swan
Canning Water Quality Improvement Plan'' and the ''Better Urban
Water Management'' guidelines of 2008. It is already operating under
four current plans.
Dealing specifically with the river protection strategy, I
acknowledge that that is a requirement. We will deliver a river protection
strategy post its merger with the Department of Parks and Wildlife. As to the
specific draft river protection strategy that the member for Gosnells referred
to, perhaps he should have read on a little further in the report because the
Auditor General's comments found that that draft, and most of its other
plans, did not prioritise the key threats facing the river system or the
actions that would most improve its long-term health. Although the Auditor
General has found that we need a river protection strategy, I recently brought
an amendment to the bill through this house. I deliberately left that clause in
because I acknowledge that we need a river protection strategy, and we will
deliver one. The draft that the member refers to, even within the Auditor
General's own report, was found to have not adequately identified the
key threats. We will deliver an amended river protection strategy following the
Swan River Trust's merger with the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Mr D.J. Kelly interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, I call you to order for the second time.
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