Page 1285 - Week 04 - Thursday, 7 April 2016

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those particular pest weeds. I do not have any of the maps in front of me now but I would be happy to see if I can supply them for you. It is of interest to the whole of the territory that we ensure that we do as much as we can to control those particular feral weeds. African lovegrass is a weed that spreads quite easily. We know that when it is mowed, especially on the verges of roads across the territory, it spreads from mowing, but we need to keep it down as much as possible. I will talk to our land managers to see whether we can come up with some maps, as Ms Lawder has requested.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Lawder.

MS LAWDER: Minister, are the maps recording the location and spread of African lovegrass publicly available? If so, from where? Is the information collected via GPS on the mowing machines?

MR GENTLEMAN: I do not believe the maps are publicly available on line but I will check with the directorate. There certainly is information provided to our land managers in regard to working on the weed program and mowing as well. I will go to them and ask for their advice on how that information is provided to the mowing crews.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.

MRS JONES: Minister, what is the ACT government doing to communicate with the community in both rural and suburban areas about the spread of this weed?

MR GENTLEMAN: We do have a communication program on feral pests and plants that goes out from the directorate. It is important that we get that message out as much as possible on the effectiveness of treating those invasive weeds. We know that some of the mapping that has been done has been used with drain technology as well. That is the detail that I have at the moment. I am happy to come back and provide the Assembly with the actual communication strategies that we have for that.

MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mrs Jones.

MRS JONES: Minister, what are you doing to prevent African lovegrass from spreading further throughout the ACT, and how is your directorate measuring the effectiveness of any such treatment activities?

MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Mrs Jones for her question. Each financial year the Parks and Conservation Service coordinates the development of the invasive weeds operational plan which includes a prioritised list of operations across the territory and the controlled works for weeds that pose a high risk to the environment and also the economic and social risks to government-owned land in the ACT. Examples, as we have heard, include African lovegrass, but they also include serrated tussock and Chilean needle grass as major threats to our natural temperate grasslands.

A detailed program is in place, and whilst we need to ensure that we have African lovegrass as a priority weed, considerable effort is also put in to controlling new and emerging weeds as part of that biosecruity response.


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