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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1227 asked in the Legislative Council on 23 November 2022 by Hon Colin De Grussa

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

BIODIVERSITY, CONSERVATION AND ATTRACTIONS — DECLARED PESTS

1227. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the minister representing the Minister for Environment:

I refer to the proposed memoranda of understanding between recognised biosecurity groups and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions for the control of declared pests on land controlled by DBCA.

(1) Have draft MOUs been provided to RBGs for their consideration?

(2) Within what time frame does DBCA expect that the MOUs will be executed, bearing in mind many of the volunteers who participate in RBGs are currently focused on the state's record grain harvest?

(3) Is the minister confident that the proposed MOUs will provide adequate legal liability protections to the volunteers involved with RBGs upon the transfer of restricted chemical permits from DBCA to licensed pest management technicians?

(4) When will the current restricted chemical permits held by DBCA expire, and is any consideration being given to extending the permits to provide sufficient time for the RBGs to review and come to an agreement with DBCA on the MOUs?

Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:

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

(1)–(4) The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions collaborates with recognised biosecurity groups through memoranda of understanding to undertake pest animal control programs across multiple tenures, including lands managed by DBCA. DBCA, the Department of Health and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development have endorsed a new process that ensures restricted pesticide permits are issued in accordance with legislative requirements, particularly the Code of practice for the safe use and management of registered pesticides containing 1080, PAPP and strychnine.

DPIRD and DBCA have recently communicated the new process to the RBGs. DBCA is organising workshops with each RBG over the coming weeks to work through the permit process, land access authorities and an updated memorandum of understanding to support the renewal of permits that expire on 31 December 2022.

The memoranda of understanding do not provide legal liability protections to volunteers involved in RBGs. Legal liability protection is an internal corporate governance issue for an incorporated body.