Page 441 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 27 June 1989
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Its most powerful effects, however, under the amended Act are that the conservator will be empowered, or required even, to give special protection status to threatened and endangered species and to birds covered by the Australian Government's agreements with the governments of China and Japan. That means that the ACT has also ratified these international agreements in effect - agreements entered into by the Commonwealth - and I think that is quite an historic example of our preparedness to cooperate with the Commonwealth on nature conservation and environmental issues.
I believe these are issues of our time, and I believe we must stand ready to cooperate with other governments across boundaries in our search for solutions to these problems. Accordingly, I believe the Bill deserves support, and I commend it.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail Stage
Clauses 1 to 3, by leave, taken together, and agreed to.
Clause 4 (Insertion)
MRS GRASSBY (Minister for Housing and Urban Services), by leave: I move:
Page 2, line 28, before "the protection", insert "in the case of the members of a species of migratory animal -".
Page 2, at the end of proposed section 16 add the following subsection:
"'(3) In this section 'migratory animal' means a migratory animal that periodically or occasionally visits Australia, the Australian coastal sea or the sea over the continental shelf of Australia'.".
Mr Speaker, the Government has become aware of the need to clarify a small matter in this Bill. Clause 4 of the Bill inserted proposed new sections 16, 17 and 18 into the Act. Proposed section 16 introduces a special protection status for wildlife, Australian native animals and plants. This provision enables the conservator to provide a high level of protection status to animals or plants which require it, or an animal or plant which is threatened with extinction including the migratory birds covered by the Australian agreement with China and Japan.
One interpretation of proposed new section 16(1)(a) as drafted could require the conservator to provide this special status to any animal which was the subject of any
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