Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 2184

❓ A parliamentary question regarding a proposal by the Shire of Esperance to clear 500,000 hectares of public land for agriculture, particularly concerning its environmental impact on the Great Western Woodlands. The Minister defers most questions to QoN 2185 and indicates advice will only be sought if a formal referral is made.

AnsweredQoN 2184Legislative Council

Asked

18 November 2014

Member

Hon Robin Chapple

Portfolio

Environment

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to a proposal by the Shire of Esperance to clear land for agriculture north of the town, and I ask: (a) is the Minister aware of a proposal from the Shire of Esperance for the allocation and clearing of public land for agricultural land releases north of Esperance; (b) is the Minister aware of a map provided to the Government by the Shire showing five separate locations for new agricultural land releases totalling 500,000 hectares; (c) can the Minister confirm that most, if not all the land identified by the Shire, is within the Great Western Woodlands as defined in the Government’s Biodiversity and Cultural Conservation Strategy Great Western Woodlands ; (d) has the Minister received advice from the Department of Environment as to the potential environmental impacts of the proposed clearing: (i) if yes to (d), what does the advice say; (ii) if yes to (d), will the Minister release this advice, and if not, why not; and (iii) if the Minister has not received advice from his department, will he be seeking such advice; (e) given the massive clearing of native vegetation that has already occurred across the south west of Western Australia and the many long term environmental and sustainability problems this has caused, what is the Minister’s position on new agricultural land releases involving clearing of large areas of native vegetation in southern Western Australia, including areas that are recognised internationally as part of a "Global Biodiversity Hotspot" and come under the Government’s Biodiversity and Cultural Conservation Strategy Great Western Woodlands ; (f) has the proposal for new large scale land clearing for agriculture as presented to the government by the Shire of Esperance been referred to the Environmental Protection Authority and the Department of Parks and Wildlife for advice: (i) if no to (f), when will it be referred; and (g) will the Government be subjecting the proposal to an open, independent and expert cost-benefit study addressing the full range of economic, social and environmental factors prior to any Government endorsement of the proposal: (i) if no to (g), why not?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

17 February 2015

Responded by

Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Environment

Response time

91 days

(a)-(c) Please refer to Legislative Council question on notice 2185.
(d) No
(i)-(ii) Not applicable
(iii) In the event that the Environmental Protection Authority receives a referral under Part IV of the
Environmental Protection Act 1986
(the Act) or the Department of Environment Regulation receives an application to clear native vegetation under Part V of the Act in relation to a proposal of this type, I will request advice from the respective agency.
(e)-(g) Please refer to Legislative Council question on notice 2185.

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