Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 2 February, World Wetlands Day was celebrated across Australia. The event marks the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in Ramsar in 1971.

The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre estimates that six per cent of the world’s land surface is wetland. Wetlands are an important natural resource—healthy wetlands harness biodiversity, protect against flooding and absorb many of the pollutants in our river systems. They are also a valuable human resource, and it is this that has led to their degradation around the world and in Australia.

The express aim of the convention is the protection of wetlands and the reversal of degradation. Australia, like 158 other nations, is a signatory to the treaty and I am pleased to say that progress has been made in the recognition of the extraordinary wetlands which we have within our own country. National and regional parks have been created around wetlands; successive governments have allocated money towards their restoration; local voluntary organisations have administered millions of dollars of funds.

However, I rise today to speak to this grievance motion with concern for the health of vital wetlands within my inner metropolitan electorate of Swan: the wetlands surrounded by the Canning River Regional Park. I am concerned that through this government’s actions the work of a range of stakeholders across the Canning wetlands will be undermined.

I would first like to give some context to my argument. The Canning River Regional Park is located nine kilometres south-east of Central Perth and extends for six kilometres along the Canning River between the Shelley and Nicholson Road bridges. It is quite simply a site of tremendous natural beauty. The freshwater river weaves through lush vegetation, feeding into the estuary after Kent Street weir and eventually into the Swan River. The wetlands support fragile saltwater and freshwater ecosystems and a variety of birdlife can be found. Bicycle tracks, walking paths, boardwalks and even a miniature railway traverse the park, making the natural environment accessible and enjoyable to the public. There is a good mix of conservation and recreational spaces.

The natural beauty unfortunately masks severe problems. Nitrogen and phosphate levels are high and constantly monitored by the Swan River Trust. Earlier in the month during a visit to the Wilson Wetlands Action Group, a local environmental conservation organisation, I witnessed two ladies from the Swan River Trust monitoring water quality. A couple of weeks later, people have been warned to avoid contact with a stretch of water upstream from Kent Street weir, where algal levels are toxic.

The recently released Swan Canning Water Quality Improvement Plan states that 251 tonnes of nitrogen and 26 tonnes of phosphorus enter the Swan Canning river system annually. Much of this nutrient load originates in rural areas. However, a significant amount originates within urban areas in my electorate. The Mills Street main drain is one such example. The Mills Street drain catchment drains industrial, commercial and residential use land. It discharges into the Wilson Wetlands and flows into the Canning River downstream of the Kent Street Weir in Cannington. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels are considered high. Likely sources of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and soluble reactive phosphorus, both available for algal uptake, are fertilisers used on home gardens and parkland, animal wastes, septic tank leachate and discharges from industry. According to the draft Water Quality Improvement Plan released last week, Mills Street drain has been classified as a subcatchment where total load reductions greater than 50 per cent are required to meet modelled water quality targets for nitrogen and phosphorus.

Steady progress has been made. A trust report shows that nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations have fallen over the past years. The Wilson Wetlands Action Group has revegetated areas of the main drain and installed a litter sluice gate to absorb nutrients and trap litter respectively. However, there is much more we can do. These targets are a good first step. A much-needed local water quality improvement plan is being devised for the subcatchment by Mark Cugley of the Swan River Trust. It is due out in the middle of the year. I will work with Mark and the local conservation groups to try and find an improvement.

This example is representative of much of what is going on around the park: solid policy development and community group interest leading to slow, tangible, yet fragile progress. The progress of the wetlands could not have happened if it were not for government money and local volunteer organisations—both inextricably linked. Government of all levels have legislated to protect the area and allocated funding for wetlands conservation. Local volunteer groups have administered the funding, supplementing this with their own hard work.

I want to expand on this point before explaining how it is under threat. On 28 January 2009 I was privileged to receive a tour and a briefing of the wetlands from Russell Gorton, President of the Wilson Wetlands Action Group. The group has four main objectives: to prevent the fragmentation of the regional park; to maintain a river buffer; to work with agencies to protect flora and fauna; and to improve biodiversity. The group meets on a twice-monthly basis to undertake conservation work. This work involves planting native vegetation around drains such as Mills Street drain, as mentioned previously. It also involves some more innovative projects. I was particularly impressed to see how the group combined sport and environmental objectives with its creation of a BMX conservation site adjacent to the Kent Street weir. The project was funded by grant money. Every tax dollar spent on volunteer groups achieves better value for money. The labour of course is free.

Last week I had the privilege of meeting Jo Stone, of the Canning River Regional Park Volunteers. Jo took me on a tour of the southern part of the wetlands—from the Ecocentre, at Kent Street, down to Litoria Flats, at the Ferndale end of the park. At Litoria Flats, Jo showed me the revegetation that her group had achieved. The process would be long but ultimately rewarding. Jo jovially pointed to the spots she would be planting when in her wheelchair. Jo showed me spots planted courtesy of the ‘compulsory volunteering’ of school groups in WA. The local community is working together towards a better environment.

Finally, the South-East Regional Centre for Urban Landcare, or SERCUL, under the astute leadership of Julie Robert, has also been making progress on local issues. The group is larger and has managed to secure a greater degree of funding from an array of sources. The innovative Water Quality Partnership is an example of this. The project, which is aimed to promote a cooperative and consistent approach to water quality monitoring activities across the region, brought together funding from the Swan Catchment Council and funds from the Natural Heritage Trust delivered in partnership with the Department of Water and local governments.

All of these groups should be commended. The actions of these groups are strengthened by a sound institutional forum, the Canning River Regional Park Community Advisory Committee. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a meeting of the committee last Thursday night, and I was impressed by the sheer professionalism and passion of those in attendance.

I have explained the good work being undertaken in the park; now I will explain why it is under threat. These local conservation efforts have been dealt a serious blow by funding cuts in the latest round of Caring for our Country grants. The Caring for our Country grants scheme was brought in by the Rudd government. This round of funding—regional base-level funding—goes to Perth NRM. Perth NRM then allocates this money to local projects, often run by, or in collaboration with, conservation groups like those which I have just described above.

Last Monday’s announcement of the Caring for our Country regional base-level funding has allocated Perth NRM just $2.3 million a year, without indexation, for the next four years. This compares to the $3.2 million received by Perth NRM in 2008-09 and the $4.2 million to $4.6 million that Perth NRM had become accustomed to receiving in previous years under the Howard government. These cuts represent a serious threat to the outstanding conservation work being undertaken by local groups in the Canning River Regional Park region. Projects are likely to be cut. Perth NRM will have to cut back some of its project staff. Perth NRM has already ceased half of the projects that it used to run, with the loss of 20 jobs. Progress at the Canning River Regional Park will suffer.

This is not an isolated occurrence. Members will remember that I spoke to the House in November about the disgraceful allocation of the Caring for our Country open grants funding. Of the $28 million made available for projects, only 10 per cent was allocated to WA, a state with over one-third of Australia’s landmass. This government is cutting environmental funding. I ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts to categorically make more money available for Perth NRM and the Canning River Regional Park.

Finally, I wish to briefly make the case for further action that this government can take to help conserve the Canning River Regional Park wetlands. Hydrocotyl is a problematic plant that spreads quickly over the wetlands and can even colonise land. It is difficult to control and costly to manage. The weed spreads quickly over the surface of the water, starving the river of sunlight and oxygen and killing aquatic life below the surface. At the committee meeting on Thursday night, all stakeholders said they had run out of money to buy weedkiller, which has a limited effect. Although a declared weed, hydrocotyl appears only 45th on the Weeds of National Significance list. If hydrocotyl were higher up the list, it would likely be eligible for more research grants—grants which are needed, given the poor results the current treatments are yielding.

In conclusion, the Canning River Regional Park, in my electorate, is a natural treasure and I would encourage all people in my electorate to experience its wonder. However, despite its outward beauty, there are many problems with the water quality of the hydrological system. I urge the government to reverse its decision to cut funding to Perth NRM and open grant recipients.