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❓ Question regarding the purchase and conservation status of five former pastoral leases in the Mid-West, querying delays in establishing them as conservation reserves and the approval of mining projects on these lands.

AnsweredQoN 3270Legislative Council

Asked

16 June 2015

Member

Hon Robin Chapple

Portfolio

Lands

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to five former pastoral leases in the Mid-West region of the State, Locharda, Karara, Thundelarra, Burnerbinmah and Kadji Kadji, and I ask: (a) when were the Locharda, Karara, Thundelarra, Burnerbinmah and Kadji Kadji pastoral leases purchased to become part of Western Australia's conservation reserve system; (b) who purchased them and how much was paid for each property; (c) what is their combined area; (d) for each ex-lease, what specific type and category of conservation reserve was proposed at the time, or subsequently, by the purchasing agency; (e) given they were purchased more than a decade ago to become part of the public conservation estate, have any of the properties been formally established as conservation reserve: (i) if yes to (e), which one(s) and what type or category of reserve are they; and (ii) if any of the properties have not become conservation reserve as intended, why has that purpose not been achieved in each case; (f) since the leases were purchased, have any mining or exploration projects been approved on any of them: (i) if yes to (f), on which of the ex-leases are the mining or exploration projects located, which company or companies is/are the proponent(s), and what is/are the status of the project(s); (g) are there other mining or exploration proposals currently under assessment on any of the ex-leases: (i) if yes to (g), for each proposal, on which of the ex-leases are they located, which company or companies is/are the proponent(s), and what is/are the status of the assessment(s); (h) given that public funds were used to acquire these leases so that they could be converted to the public conservation reserve, does the Minister consider it is appropriate that, rather than become conservation reserve, they are instead being used as mine sites or proposed to become mine sites; (i) are any of the ex-leases subject to ongoing monitoring and management to ensure their conservation values are not further diminished by threats such as feral animals and weeds: (i) if yes to (i), for each lease, what form of monitoring and management is occurring, who is undertaking it, at what annual cost, and to whom; (j) is the Minister actively progressing the formal establishment of these areas as conservation reserve and, if so, in what way or ways; (k) when will the ex-leases be formally established as conservation reserves; and (l) what of their original conservation value will be left when they are established?