❓ Dr. Edwards questions the Minister for the Environment regarding the establishment of a plant extract library, focusing on transparency, Indigenous intellectual property, commercial benefits for WA, and research access. The Minister declined to answer due to resource constraints.
AnsweredQoN 883Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
883. Dr EDWARDS to the Minister for the Environment:
(1) With respect to the establishment of a plant extract library how many respondents to the call for expressions of interest were shortlisted against the selection criteria?
(2) Did the number of shortlisted respondents mean that direct negotiations were conducted?
(3) How many of those shortlisted respondents indicated a desire to establish a screening or pharmacological facility in Western Australia?
(4) Did the successful respondent indicate a desire to establish a screening facility in Western Australia?
(5) Did the successful respondent indicate a desire to establish a pharmacological facility in Western Australia?
(6) What time frame was indicated by the successful respondent as necessary in order to establish a screening facility in Western Australia?
(7) What time frame was indicated by the successful respondent as necessary in order to establish a pharmacological facility in Western Australia?
(8) How many expressions of interest were received requesting the screening of samples from the plant extract library?
(9) Is screening of samples from the plant extract library being carried out?
(10) If not, why not?
(11) If yes to (8), where is the screening of extracts from the plant extract library carried out?
(12) If yes to (8), who pays for these screenings?
(13) How many expressions of interest were received relating to commissioning the collection and processing of further extracts?
(14) How many expressions of interest were received indicating a desire to establish a centre to collect, inventory and screen the microflora of Western Australia?
(15) Did the successful respondent indicate a desire to establish a centre to collect, inventory and screen the microflora of Western Australia?
(16) Was the successful tenderer awarded the exclusive rights to the genetic material of Western Australian flora?
(17) If yes to (15), what conditions were attached to the granting of exclusive rights to the genetic material of Western Australian flora?
(18) Was the tender awarded for specific plant extracts or for areas of pharmacological interest?
(19) What royalties are received from the successful tenderer?
(20) What royalties were offered by respondents who required additional screening?
(21) Does the awarding of the tender for a specific plant extract subsequently exclude the awarding of tenders for the same plant extract by other interested parties looking at different areas of pharmacological interest?
(22) What safeguards are in place to ensure that plant specimens are not illegally taken from private property?
(23) Given that there are several compilations which include the identification of use by Indigenous people of plants occurring in Western Australia, why has this important ethnobotanical information not been included in the data base of the plant extract library and so ensure that issues of Indigenous intellectual property rights are at least acknowledged?
(24) What safeguards have been put in place to ensure that Western Australia will benefit financially in the long term and not only the short term from the sale of the samples?
(25) If the extract from a plant is sold to a commercial enterprise, can university research groups study independently, from a botanical, chemical or pharmacological perspective the particular plant or extracts from it?
(26) If yes to (24), does the university research group retain intellectual property rights on the results of their research?
(27) Who conducted the negotiations for the contract with the successful tenderer on behalf of CALM?
(28) What commercial qualifications does this person have in order to represent CALM in such negotiations?
(29) What experience in negotiating commercial contracts did this person have at the time of the negotiations?
(1) With respect to the establishment of a plant extract library how many respondents to the call for expressions of interest were shortlisted against the selection criteria?
(2) Did the number of shortlisted respondents mean that direct negotiations were conducted?
(3) How many of those shortlisted respondents indicated a desire to establish a screening or pharmacological facility in Western Australia?
(4) Did the successful respondent indicate a desire to establish a screening facility in Western Australia?
(5) Did the successful respondent indicate a desire to establish a pharmacological facility in Western Australia?
(6) What time frame was indicated by the successful respondent as necessary in order to establish a screening facility in Western Australia?
(7) What time frame was indicated by the successful respondent as necessary in order to establish a pharmacological facility in Western Australia?
(8) How many expressions of interest were received requesting the screening of samples from the plant extract library?
(9) Is screening of samples from the plant extract library being carried out?
(10) If not, why not?
(11) If yes to (8), where is the screening of extracts from the plant extract library carried out?
(12) If yes to (8), who pays for these screenings?
(13) How many expressions of interest were received relating to commissioning the collection and processing of further extracts?
(14) How many expressions of interest were received indicating a desire to establish a centre to collect, inventory and screen the microflora of Western Australia?
(15) Did the successful respondent indicate a desire to establish a centre to collect, inventory and screen the microflora of Western Australia?
(16) Was the successful tenderer awarded the exclusive rights to the genetic material of Western Australian flora?
(17) If yes to (15), what conditions were attached to the granting of exclusive rights to the genetic material of Western Australian flora?
(18) Was the tender awarded for specific plant extracts or for areas of pharmacological interest?
(19) What royalties are received from the successful tenderer?
(20) What royalties were offered by respondents who required additional screening?
(21) Does the awarding of the tender for a specific plant extract subsequently exclude the awarding of tenders for the same plant extract by other interested parties looking at different areas of pharmacological interest?
(22) What safeguards are in place to ensure that plant specimens are not illegally taken from private property?
(23) Given that there are several compilations which include the identification of use by Indigenous people of plants occurring in Western Australia, why has this important ethnobotanical information not been included in the data base of the plant extract library and so ensure that issues of Indigenous intellectual property rights are at least acknowledged?
(24) What safeguards have been put in place to ensure that Western Australia will benefit financially in the long term and not only the short term from the sale of the samples?
(25) If the extract from a plant is sold to a commercial enterprise, can university research groups study independently, from a botanical, chemical or pharmacological perspective the particular plant or extracts from it?
(26) If yes to (24), does the university research group retain intellectual property rights on the results of their research?
(27) Who conducted the negotiations for the contract with the successful tenderer on behalf of CALM?
(28) What commercial qualifications does this person have in order to represent CALM in such negotiations?
(29) What experience in negotiating commercial contracts did this person have at the time of the negotiations?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
23 November 2000
Response time
9 days
The Minister Replied:
To answer this question would require considerable research and resources and as such I am not prepared to devote the time to provide the Member with the information, however, if there is a particular concern I will endeavour to have it addressed.
To answer this question would require considerable research and resources and as such I am not prepared to devote the time to provide the Member with the information, however, if there is a particular concern I will endeavour to have it addressed.
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