Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Siewert, Mr Acting Deputy President, by way of disorderly interjection is saying to me that my commentary—that not a cent has been spent—is not accurate. Well, perhaps I am using ‘not a cent’ in a way of emphasising that state governments, in particular, do not spend anywhere near sufficiently. You could almost say that, for the small amounts of money they do spend, they might as well not spend a cent, because those small amounts are not adequate to properly manage national parks. As a consequence, national parks have become a haven for feral animals and weeds.

The Australian government spends tens of millions of dollars every year to address the weed menace. Incidentally, this is a responsibility for state and local governments but which has not been taken up by state governments, so the federal government spends tens of millions of dollars every year to address the weed menace. And what do state governments do? They actually harbour the weeds in these national parks. They do not spend sufficient money on weed control in the national parks. All the farmers, land owners, environment groups and natural resource management groups spend a lot of money on land surrounding national parks to get rid of weeds. All of that work, effort and money is to no avail, because the weeds simply get blown out of the national parks onto the adjoining farming land.

Anyone on the land who lives near a national park—well, certainly up my way—will tell you about pigs and other feral animals that take refuge in the national parks and then come out and destroy the Australian biodiversity. We spend a lot of time complaining about the reduction of our natural biodiversity in Australia, and one of the causes of that is national parks that are not properly managed, principally by state governments. The federal government manages some national parks and we manage marine national parks. We try to put a bit of money in it and, I think, there was a general consensus—Senator Siewert will correct me if I am wrong, I am sure—that parks managed by the federal government are better resourced and better managed. It is of great concern to me—and I try not to make this a political point, but it is true—that Labor state governments have been very good at establishing national parks and then putting very little money—I am not saying none—into their proper maintenance.

Mr Acting Deputy President, I know that you know that weeds cost Australia $4 billion every year. The federal government’s Defeating the Weed Menace program put in, I think, $45 million over several years and then there was an addition to that, if I recall correctly, of another $20 million. We put a lot of money into addressing weed control, but what do the state governments do? They create more national parks which form havens for weeds that blow out, and it means that we are really chasing our tails. One government puts money in to try and address a $4 billion problem and another government keeps creating national parks without the proper management.

I like national parks and many national parks that are created are good. Some of the Labor governments in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania have created national parks in good native timber growing areas, and they have done that for political reasons, not for conservation reasons. Where they are properly placed, national parks do protect Australia’s very unique biodiversity, but they do not protect it unless they are properly managed. This committee report highlights the desperate need for better management by all governments, but particularly by state governments, of national parks that have been created. I will conclude my remarks there.