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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1188 asked in the Legislative Council on 3 November 2020 by Hon Robin Chapple

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

PENGUIN ISLAND CONSERVATION PARK — BACTERIAL TRANSMISSION

1188. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the Minister for Environment:

I draw the minister's attention to a recently published paper in Applied and Environmental Microbiology concerning the extraordinary incidents of antibiotic resistance to human strains of intestinal bacteria E. coli in silver gulls and other birds on Penguin Island Conservation Park.

(1) Has the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions informed the minister about the issues relating to the transmission of these bacteria to wildlife and the human population?

(2) Has DBCA consulted with researchers, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the Department of Health about the risks associated with these findings and the measures that should be taken?

(3) Is the minister aware that the materials contaminated by human faeces, dumped with the food waste at coastal sanitary landfill sites, is likely to be the source of these and other bacterial infections in the island's wildlife?

(4) What actions will be taken to prevent transmission of potentially resistant pathogenic bacteria to birds, other wildlife islands, nature reserves and, ultimately, back to the human population?

Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:

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

Honourable member, I have noticed what I believe to be an error in the answer, so I will get that checked. I will provide the member with an answer tomorrow.