PEST MANAGEMENT — GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED LAND
941. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:
I refer to pest management on crown
land.
(1) How many
complaints relating to pest management on government-controlled land has the
minister's office or the Department of Primary Industries and Regional
Development received in the last six months?
(2) Can the
minister confirm that if a department, agency or government trading enterprise
controls land, it is usually the responsible party for pest management on that
land?
(3) Does DPIRD
monitor public complaints about pest management; and, if yes, what is the
process for escalating those concerns within the public sector?
(4) Does DPIRD
have the ability to compel a department, agency or government trading
enterprise to manage pests; and, if yes,
please table any directions provided to departments, agencies or GTEs in the
last six months?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the
question.
(1) My office and
the department, of course, receive a wide range of contacts and correspondence
relating to pest management, both on
government-controlled and private land. I am sure the member would appreciate
that I am not able to provide a detailed answer in the time provided. However,
if there is a particular issue that the member would like some detail on, I would
ask him to be a little more specific.
(2) Yes. Under
the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007, the owner or manager of
land is responsible for managing declared pests on that land.
(3) DPIRD receives
complaints and responds accordingly. Pest management is one component of a large
and complex state biosecurity response.
(4) The BAM act
provides powers to manage declared pests, which DPIRD can use, if appropriate,
to direct landholders and/or managers to undertake pest control measures on
their land. No directions have been issued to departments, agencies or
government trading enterprises in the last six months. DPIRD uses a collaborative
community-wide approach for the management of widespread and established pests
to achieve broader and more effective long-term pest management outcomes. This
includes initiatives such as matching declared pest rate funding, funding
recognised biosecurity groups and, of course, our natural resource management
activities such as funding the arum lily initiative in the south west and
funding to provide specific pest control programs for high-impact pests through
the wild dog action plan.