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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 02 Hansard (Wednesday, 3 March 2004) . . Page.. 685 ..

nests close to the ground. We, and future residents, need to be very mindful of the impact that cats could have on the Gooroo/Mulligans Flat woodland complex.

My motion notes an options paper released last November entitled Options for the protection of sensitive fauna in Mulligans Flat and Gooroo nature reserves from the impact of domestic cats. This options paper was developed by a working group convened by the Conservation Council of the South East Region and Canberra and included representatives from the Canberra Ornithologists Group, Friends of Grasslands, the National Parks Association, Environment ACT’s Wildlife Research and Monitoring unit and the ACT Planning and Land Authority.

Gooroo and Mulligans Flat are an important habitat. I quote from the joint paper:

The current decline in woodland bird species is of particular concern in the Canberra region, where six threatened bird species are facing substantial survival pressures as a result of land clearing, pollution, overgrazing, urban development, and the recent fires and drought, in addition to potential predation and disease dispersal by feral and domestic animals.

The Mulligans Flat/Gooroo complex contains outstanding ecological and conservation values, and a great diversity of birds, mammals and reptiles, including small populations of two resident birds listed as threatened under ACT legislation, the Hooded Robin and the Brown Treecreeper. These threatened species, along with a number of other woodland birds including the Scarlet Robin, are known to be in decline in the Mulligans Flat/Gooroo complex as well as in other woodlands around Canberra, both in reserve and on leasehold.

A related matter that will come up, and should be addressed before the auction, is the conflict between a large fire buffer between the reserve and houses and the reserve’s biodiversity and wildlife functions. We cannot let this become a major incursion into the reserve simply because the blocks were sold before a resolution had been found. The Minister for Environment has indicated to me that he is concerned about this problem and will be seeking to ensure that no buffer encroaches on the reserve. I trust that these factors will also be paramount in any advertising and discussion about land use from now on. I commend this motion to the Assembly.

MRS CROSS (5.07): I rise to support Ms Tucker’s motion in its entirety. It is a very good motion, and it is long overdue. I will not be supporting the amendments Mrs Dunne has put forward, because I do not believe this needs investigating any further. We have enough information to confirm that this is a problem, and we need to ask the Assembly to commit to it but not investigate it further. It has been done to death. There is a clear need to control cats, Mr Deputy Speaker, in the new suburbs of Forde and Bonner in order to protect threatened wildlife. I might just go on holiday, Mr Deputy Speaker.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am listening intently, Mrs Cross.

MRS CROSS: There is no quorum. There is a clear need to control cats in the new suburbs of Forde and Bonner—

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: If you want to draw attention to it, you can. No? Thank you.

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