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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 138 asked in the Legislative Council on 12 March 2019 by Hon Diane Evers

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

ALCOA — JARRAH FOREST REHABILITATION

138. Hon DIANE EVERS to the Minister for Environment:

I refer to jarrah forests rehabilitated by Alcoa after bauxite extraction, and the stipulation in Alcoa's bauxite mine rehabilitation program 2016 that the state does not inherit liability requiring input of extraordinary resources.

(1) Over the last 10 years, how much rehabilitated forest has been returned to the state government to manage?

(2) Will the minister please table any maps showing this area?

(3) Given that the rehabilitated juvenile jarrah forests returned to the government have high stem densities and therefore require thinning for their ecological health —

(a) does Alcoa perform thinning at any time, either prior to or after return to the state;

(b) does the state undertake thinning after resuming management of the forest;

(c) if yes to (b), what is the cost of this; and

(d) if no to (b), why not?

Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.

(1)–(2) No rehabilitated state forest has been returned to the state over the last 10 years.

(3) (a) Alcoa is required to meet agreed rehabilitation completion criteria, which may include thinning. These criteria are reviewed every five years. Alcoa, in conjunction with the state, has undertaken thinning trials and trials planting at lower stem densities.

(b)–(d) The state may undertake thinning of forest after resuming management; however, as no forest has been returned to the state in the last 10 years, it is not possible to provide contemporary costs in relation to thinning in areas mined for bauxite by Alcoa.