Page 3127 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 22 August 2017
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The government is also investing in more infrastructure projects within parks and conservation. In 2017-18 a total of $629,000 will be allocated for repairing and increasing access to the Jerrabomberra wetlands education and community centre, Gibraltar Falls and Sheedys Creek playground. Infrastructure in these areas will be improved, as will access roads in rural and protected areas. We will receive new signage, and the second phase of the adaptive reuse of former ranger housing stock will be implemented.
Each of these initiatives will make our parks and wetlands even more interesting places to visit and ensure that visitors can continue to access the parks safely. I would also like to commend the government on its willingness to consult broadly with park user groups on issues regarding the management of, and access to, reserves, as recorded in its response to the estimates committee recommendation.
One of the greatest threats to our local wildlife and to our plant production and agriculture industries is the spread of exotic pests and disease. Eradicating pests and disease is much more cost effective than controlling them after they have been established. The government reduces the risk of pests and diseases coming to the ACTÂ from other regions by contributing to a national cost-sharing arrangement.
This budget also allocates $180,000 for contribution to the 10-year eradication programme for red imported fire ants in south-east Queensland. These ants cause severe environmental, economic and social damage. In the United States fire ants have caused 85 deaths by anaphylactic shock and annually cost the country an estimated $7 billion. So you can see why it is important to contribute to that.
We must also be on guard against pests and diseases from overseas. As promised, the government has attracted more international airlines to Canberra International Airport. Within two years the airport expects to receive daily passenger flights and cargo-only aircraft. Each will contain 100 tonnes of freight. With this, there will be an inevitable increase in the risk of exotic pest and disease incursion. This risk threatens both the ACT and surrounding regions.
The government is proactively addressing this issue by allocating $171,000 annually to provide a senior biosecurity officer to manage the heightened risks. The commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, in recognition of the value of this initiative, will contribute an annual grant of $9,500. This total funding will help us develop the expertise to appropriately address the increased biosecurity risk.
The risk of bushfires also threatens our wildlife areas and nearby homes. It has been a dry winter, and the government is working hard to ensure that we are ready for the upcoming bushfire season. We have already completed 95.9 per cent of ACT parks and conservation’s bushfire operations plan for this financial year. We have removed fire fuels through initiatives such as prescribed burns and strategic grazing and have added new firefighting vehicles and remote, portable weather stations.
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