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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 549 asked in the Legislative Council on 22 February 2022 by Hon Dr Brad Pettitt

Question Directed to the: Minister for Emergency Services representing the Minister for Environment
Parliament: 41 Session: 1


Question

I refer to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions’ (DBCA) commitment in 2016 to produce a biodiversity management program (BMP) for Santalum spicatum (native sandalwood), as provided for under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and recommended by the Environmental Protection Authority, which at that time the DBCA stated would take ‘six to 12 months’. I additionally refer to question without notice No. 1151 asked of the then Minister for Environment in relation to the development of that program, and I ask:
(a) has DBCA completed the sandalwood biodiversity management program;
(b) if no to (a), when will it be completed;
(c) why has it taken DBCA over five years to produce the sandalwood biodiversity management program that it stated in 2016 would take ‘six to 12 months’ to develop;
(d) given the recent listing of native sandalwood as a ‘vulnerable’ threatened species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, following reviews by two former senior DBCA scientists, will native sandalwood be listed as a threatened species under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016;
(e) if no (d), why not;
(f) given native sandalwood has now been listed as a ‘vulnerable’ threatened species on the IUCN Red List, will the Minister immediately suspend the Forest Products Commission’s (FPC) annual sandalwood licence and work with the Minister for Forestry and key industry stakeholders to reform the industry so it complies with all requirements in relation to trading in a globally-listed threatened species;
(g) if no to (f), why not;
(h) based on DBCA sandalwood licensing and production data, how many tonnes of sandalwood has the native sandalwood plantation sector in the Wheatbelt produced over each of the past five years from both FPC and private plantations;
(i) given the EPA stated in 2016 that it supports the development of the 'Transition to Plantations' sandalwood strategy by FPC and that it should undergo stakeholder consultation prior to being published, has the ‘Transition to Plantations’ sandalwood strategy been completed; and
(j) if no to (i):
(i) why not; and
(ii) when will it be completed?

Answered on 22 March 2022

(a)  No.

(b)  The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) expects to undertake consultation on the Santalum spicatum (Sandalwood) Biodiversity Management Program (BMP) in mid-2022.

(c)  Sandalwood management can be complex, with many factors to consider. It was also considered important to allow the WA Taskforce on Advancement of Aboriginal Economic Development Using Wild Harvested Sandalwood to complete its deliberations and report to Government. DBCA is preparing the BMP, consistent with the requirements of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act), so that it will deliver a framework for the conservation, protection and management of the species while providing for ecologically sustainable use.

(d)  No.

(e)  A nomination for the listing of sandalwood has been submitted to DBCA. As the species occurs in Western Australia and South Australia, the assessment of a nomination must follow the requirements for cross-jurisdictional assessments under the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding Agreement on a common assessment method for listing of threatened species and threatened ecological communities. The nomination has been provided to the Commonwealth to facilitate cross-jurisdictional assessment. A listing under the BC Act will be considered once the Commonwealth process is complete.

(f)   No.

(g)  In Western Australia, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria have been adopted as providing best practice for assigning the conservation status of species. The IUCN Red List itself, however, is not automatically adopted. The Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments apply statutory and rigorous processes, with specified data standards, for listing species as threatened. A species is not considered threatened in Western Australia without such an assessment process being completed and it being formally listed.

(h)  DBCA does not hold plantation sandalwood production data.

(i)-(j)   This question should be referred to the Minister for Forestry.