PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION AMENDMENT BILL 2004 Second Reading Speech

Northern Territory Second Reading Speeches

PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION AMENDMENT BILL 2004

(This an uncorrected proof of the daily report. It is made available under the condition that it is recognised as such.)

Bill presented and read a first time.

Dr BURNS (Parks and Wildlife): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.

As a consequence of the reorganisation of the public sector in November 2001, Administrative Arrangements Orders state that the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment is the responsible agency for the management of the area of government known as the management of Parks and Reserves and Wildlife Management. This has led to potential governance issues as the department’s responsibilities clashed with many of the formal functions and powers of the Parks and Wildlife Commission.

The commission is established under the Parks and Wildlife Commission Act. Sections 19 and 20 of the act provide that the commission has various functions and powers concerning the conservation and protection of the environment, including the management of parks and reserves and the enforcement of provisions of the act. The formal powers, functions and responsibilities of the commission have become redundant as a consequence of the reorganisation of the public sector. Currently, the members of the commission operate in an advisory capacity, given that the commission is no longer an agency for the purposes of the Administrative Arrangements Order.

These amendments to the Parks and Wildlife Commission Act have been prepared as an interim measure. It is the intention of government to undertake a more comprehensive review of the Parks and Wildlife Commission Act as well as the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act and consequential amendments to other legislation, following the conclusion of negotiations between the government and land councils concerning the settlement of outstanding Aboriginal land claims over Territory parks and reserves.

The Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act was introduced in November 2003 to address those negotiations. As an interim measure, these amendments do not dissolve the Parks and Wildlife Commission; they reconstitute it in a way in which the chief executive of the department is responsible for administering the act and, in effect, becomes a commission. Advice from the Department of Justice indicates that this is the most simple and effective manner of introducing the required changes and is a model that currently exists within the Department of Employment, Education and Training whereby the Chief Executive Officer of DEET is the Work Health Authority. A similar model exists in the Department of Community Development, Sport and Cultural Affairs where the Chief Executive Officer of the department is the Housing Commission.

I add that the amendments will ensure that an appropriate level of community involvement is maintained in decision-making processes of government by establishing a Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council. The council will be established by the minister and will advise the commission on matters concerning the management of parks and wildlife. The council will consist of members with specialist expertise in conservation and park management, and will include representation from indigenous interests, the tourism industry, pastoral industry and other relevant interest groups. This interim model will enable the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Service to continue to operate within the corporate governance of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, and will ensure that the relevant interest groups and stakeholders, through the establishment of a Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council, are involved in the management and conservation of the Territory’s outstanding natural resources.

Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.

Debate adjourned.

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