❓ Question regarding the outcome of the Minister's visit to Kununurra and the NT to inspect the progress of the government's cane toad initiatives. The Minister's answer details collaborative efforts and funding allocation to combat the cane toad threat.
AnsweredQoN 389Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Mr Speaker - Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members and Leader of the Opposition! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : My question without notice - Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members and Leader of the Opposition! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : My question without notice - Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
The SPEAKER : Order, members and Leader of the Opposition! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : My question without notice - Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mrs C.A. MARTIN : My question without notice - Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members and Leader of the Opposition! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : My question without notice - Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
The SPEAKER : Order, members and Leader of the Opposition! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : My question without notice - Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mrs C.A. MARTIN : My question without notice - Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mr M.J. Birney interjected. The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
The SPEAKER : I ask the member for Kimberley to take a seat. It is particularly rude of members to interject when someone else is on his or her feet, especially when the interjection does not even relate to the question. I call to order again the Leader of the Opposition. Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Thank you for your protection, Mr Chair. Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mr J.A. McGinty : You don’t need it! Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Mrs C.A. MARTIN : I do so; I just did. Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Will the minister advise the house of the outcome of her visit to Kununurra and the Northern Territory to inspect the progress of the government’s initiatives on cane toads? Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
I thank the member for her question and for her interest in the area. It is timely that the member for Kimberley asked this question today, as it is the seventieth anniversary of the day that cane toads were released in northern Queensland. They were supposedly introduced to fight the cane beetle. However, they established themselves in Queensland and have moved south into New South Wales and west into the Northern Territory. We in Western Australia are very worried about the risk that cane toads pose to us. We are worried about the economic risks. I was delighted, when I was in Kununurra, to meet the caravan park operators there, particularly those who have traps in their parks and who are handing out information to travellers to make sure that hitchhiking cane toads do not come into Kununurra. Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Several members interjected. Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS : I was also pleased to have the member for Kimberley join me in Kununurra, where we had some very worthwhile meetings. We met with the local cane toad working group. I commend that group for the activities it is undertaking on the ground. The member for Kimberley and I also met with Department of Conservation and Land Management staff, who have travelled more than 2 500 kilometres into the Northern Territory to look at points of risk, surveillance points and places to put traps. I also took the opportunity to go to the Northern Territory and meet with its Parks and Wildlife Commission and some of the traditional owners of Aboriginal lands in that area, who again are all cooperating and putting down traps. This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
This is a really serious issue, but I am delighted that the Western Australian government is the first government ever to say that it wants to do something about the problem. It was particularly pleasing that the staff of the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said that our actions had changed their attitude and that they realised they should be more aggressive in eliminating cane toads. I was interested, though, late last night to hear on ABC radio that people in Darwin were being urged to kill all the cane toads today, and have, therefore, taken my stomping message to heart! Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
Following my visit to Kununurra, I came back to Perth and briefed the Premier. We have subsequently allocated a further half a million dollars to the new Stop the Toad Foundation. This money will go to the community to work with the government on this problem. I am delighted at the cooperation that we are getting from the Northern Territory government, the traditional owners of land, the local people and the community in general. This is a massive task but I believe that, in our united approach to this problem, something significant and meaningful can be done to stop the cane toad.
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