❓ A parliamentary question regarding the Department of Conservation and Land Management's (CALM) prosecution practices and its impact on relationships with landholders, particularly concerning firefighting assistance. The Minister defends CALM's actions and announces a review of prosecution policy.
AnsweredQoN 1359Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to recent charges brought by the Department of Conservation and Land Management against several landholders in regional WA and the resulting lack of confidence in the department. (1) Is the department’s focus on trivial prosecutions rather than the broader issues of conservation and land management? (2) Is the minister aware that, as a result of increasing frustration with CALM’s actions, farmers statewide are being asked to withdraw their firefighting assistance on CALM-controlled land? (3) Does the minister agree that public anger about the lack of cooperation from CALM with landholders is damaging CALM’s ability to undertake its broader responsibilities in the longer term? (4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(1) Is the department’s focus on trivial prosecutions rather than the broader issues of conservation and land management? (2) Is the minister aware that, as a result of increasing frustration with CALM’s actions, farmers statewide are being asked to withdraw their firefighting assistance on CALM-controlled land? (3) Does the minister agree that public anger about the lack of cooperation from CALM with landholders is damaging CALM’s ability to undertake its broader responsibilities in the longer term? (4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(2) Is the minister aware that, as a result of increasing frustration with CALM’s actions, farmers statewide are being asked to withdraw their firefighting assistance on CALM-controlled land? (3) Does the minister agree that public anger about the lack of cooperation from CALM with landholders is damaging CALM’s ability to undertake its broader responsibilities in the longer term? (4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(3) Does the minister agree that public anger about the lack of cooperation from CALM with landholders is damaging CALM’s ability to undertake its broader responsibilities in the longer term? (4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(1) Is the department’s focus on trivial prosecutions rather than the broader issues of conservation and land management? (2) Is the minister aware that, as a result of increasing frustration with CALM’s actions, farmers statewide are being asked to withdraw their firefighting assistance on CALM-controlled land? (3) Does the minister agree that public anger about the lack of cooperation from CALM with landholders is damaging CALM’s ability to undertake its broader responsibilities in the longer term? (4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(2) Is the minister aware that, as a result of increasing frustration with CALM’s actions, farmers statewide are being asked to withdraw their firefighting assistance on CALM-controlled land? (3) Does the minister agree that public anger about the lack of cooperation from CALM with landholders is damaging CALM’s ability to undertake its broader responsibilities in the longer term? (4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(3) Does the minister agree that public anger about the lack of cooperation from CALM with landholders is damaging CALM’s ability to undertake its broader responsibilities in the longer term? (4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(4) What steps will the minister take to immediately refocus CALM on its main activities and away from trivial prosecutions? The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
The SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the minister, I again remind members that sub judice rules apply. In her answer, the minister should not mention any of the cases that have been referred to. Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
(1)-(4) I thank the member for the question and also the conversations we have had about some of these issues in the past few weeks. Last night I spoke over the phone with the former member for Wagin about this very matter. I do not believe that the Department of Conservation and Land Management undertakes trivial prosecutions, and I put some facts to the House to back up my argument. For the period 1 July 2000 to 31 October this year, 1 320 potential offences were reported to CALM. Of those, 391 cases were investigated and no further action was taken, 566 resulted in a formal letter of warning to the person, 243 were taken to court, and 120 are still pending. The 243 cases taken to court resulted in 243 convictions; therefore, every case taken to court in that period resulted in a conviction. CALM seriously investigates reports made to it. If it thinks an offence has occurred, it considers whether the responsible person should receive a warning, written notice or infringement notice or be taken to court. Decisions are reviewed internally before they are taken to the Crown Solicitor. Under the relevant Acts, the minister has no role in those scenarios. The CALM officers and the Crown Solicitor make the decision whether to prosecute. A number of cases are before the courts at the moment, and the courts will determine the outcomes. However, because of the significant public interest in this arena, I have appointed a small panel of people to review CALM’s prosecution policy. It has not been reviewed since 1999, and the recent controversies mean that it is timely to conduct that review. Major stakeholders and other people are making submissions to the review. CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
CALM undertakes a huge amount of work across the State. It recently won an award from British Airways for its work with the Tree Top Walk. CALM undertakes a huge diversity of work and, by and large, I am happy with it. I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
I am very concerned about the threat by farmers to withdraw firefighting services. Discussions about that are ongoing. I urge people to think carefully before they undertake any of those actions. CALM will continue to provide its full range of services, particularly in areas where people are worried about bushfires.
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