In relation to parks and forests:

(1) How many steel gates have been installed in the Mt Painter/Cook area.

(2) When were the gates installed.

(3) What was the (a) cost of installing the gates and (b) purpose of installing the gates.

(4) Who has access to the opening of the gates.

(5) Is there a levy/cost for those who have access to opening the gates.

(6) During the recent fires in the agistment paddocks at Mt Painter were the gates open or locked when the fires commenced.

(7) If the gates were locked who opened them during the recent fires in the agistment paddocks at Mt Painter.

(8) How much land was burnt in the recent fires in the agistment paddocks at Mt Painter.

(9) What was the cost to the taxpayer of putting out the fires and the damage caused in the agistment paddocks at Mt Painter.

(10) Did any animals die as a consequence of the fires in the agistment paddocks at Mt Painter.

(1) Six gates have been installed in the Cook Horse Holding Paddocks. One is a heavy security gate placed at the entrance off McKellar Crescent, Cook. Some fencing realignment and additional sub division fencing was undertaken at the paddocks prior to the installation of the security gate with 5 internal gates being added to facilitate access between paddocks.

One gate has been installed into the Mt Painter reserve on the western side. The current horse paddock licensee has installed another into an internal holding yard.

(2) The last of the horse paddock gates that were installed in this area would have been done in 1996/97. Subdivision fencing and additional installation of gates took place over a number of years commencing in about 1994. The gate into the Mt Painter reserve was installed about 2 years ago. A gate into a "founder paddock" within the Cook Horse Paddocks has been installed by the horse paddock licencee in the past 12 - 18 months.

(3) (a) A conservative estimate of material and labour costs associated with the installation of each unit would be in the order of $300.00 - $600.00 depending on the type of material used.

(3) (b) the main security gate to the horse paddocks was installed at the request of horse paddock clients and adjoining residents in an attempt to restrict unauthorised access to the area. The area was frequently visited by people not generally associated with agisting horses at the paddocks. Vandalism and the use of the carpark for "burnout" purposes, drinking, drug taking, illegal fires etc was not uncommon.