Question Without Notice No. 132 asked in the Legislative Council on 25 May 2017 by Hon Jim Chown
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
132. Hon JIM CHOWN to the Minister for Environment:
(1) What has been the annual expenditure since 2014–2017 by the department to implement the Western Australia cane toad strategy?
(2) Does the department or the Minister for Environment consider this expenditure to be an adequate amount to arrest further southern movement of this substantial threat to the state's environment?
(3) As we are midway through the 14/19 cane toad strategy, will the minister please state how effective this strategy has been to date?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
The following information has been provided to me by the Department of Parks and Wildlife —
(1) For the financial years 2013–14 to 2015–16, the total expenditure was $2.1 million.
(2)–(3) The Department of Parks and Wildlife continues to implement the ''Cane toad strategy for Western Australia 2014–2019'', which was developed under the previous government. The current approach, which is consistent with the strategy, provides direction on quarantine efforts and preventing hitchhikers from colonising ahead of the cane toad front line. The strategy has been effective in identifying and removing hitchhiker toads, and broadening community education and understanding of cane toads, which is essential for the strategy. In addition, the McGowan government is supporting new research through a partnership with the University of Sydney to develop landscape scale methods aimed at mitigating the impact of cane toads by making vulnerable native species more resilient.