Question Without Notice No. 672 asked in the Legislative Council on 11 October 2017 by Hon Diane Evers
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
OLD-GROWTH FORESTS — ASSESSMENT CRITERIA — CORRESPONDENCE
672. Hon DIANE EVERS to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to page 3 of ''Procedures for the assessment, identification and demarcation of old-growth forest''.
(1) Will the minister please table all correspondence, including formal consultation and responses, memos and emails between the Conservation and Parks Commission and the Department of Parks and Wildlife regarding the above procedures, for the period commencing 1 January to the present?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) If no to (1), will the minister at least table —
(a) the documents issued by DPaW to the CPC for consultation in February 2017;
(b) the CPC's response to (a);
(c) the documents approved by the director of forest and ecosystem management on 15 March; and
(d) any other comments made by the CPC on the procedures?
(4) If no to (3)(a), (b), (c) or (d), why not?
(5) Given old-growth forest protection is of major public interest, why did DPaW commence writing the procedures after writs had been issued on 31 January?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
Madam President, I have spoken to the member behind the Chair. She has asked for quite a lot of information so I have attempted to answer the question.
(1)–(2) In the limited time provided, it is not feasible for all correspondence to be collated for tabling. Notwithstanding this, key correspondence will be tabled in response to question (3). Given the amount of information requested, should the honourable member require further information, I ask that she place the question on notice.
(3) I now table the documents referred to in questions (1)–(2).
[See paper 741.]
(4) Not applicable.
(5) The procedures are an operational document and a requirement of the ''Forest management plan 2014–2023''. The plan came into effect on 1 January 2014.