Page 2293 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 1 November 1989
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I can see some positive reasons for doing that, and when that review occurs - and I hope this recommendation is not taken to mean that this cannot possibly happen - I hope that it will be in the context of what is the best thing for Canberra. The environmental issues included trees, pollution of water from Lake Burley Griffin, and the flood plain, which I have already mentioned. Most importantly as far as I was concerned, there was the question of the fish. I immediately eliminated the exotic fish that are already in the water system - the redfin, carp, trout and so forth - because displaying such fish is of no further risk whatsoever to the Murray-Darling system.
Then we looked at salt-water species. It was clear from the evidence that we had - and I checked this evidence with a zoologist - that the salt-water species not only could not possibly survive in the freshwater system, but the organisms and diseases that went with them also could not survive. However, the Australian native fish that are exotic to the Murray-Darling system certainly do present risks, and there certainly is some concern. Those risks have to do with whether or not those fish could survive. Mr Da Deppo's curator, David Seal, assured us that neither the fish nor any such organism could possibly survive.
In checking that statement, I have found that not to be the case. I will give you a simple example relating to a virus. A virus, as we all know, can live through quite a wide temperature range. So there is possibly a problem. I was told again and again that the solution to the problem is not in terms of those fish but is technical. Can we be sure that those fish will not escape? For that reason we visited Mr Da Deppo's aquarium site and went through the plumbing requirements very carefully with ACT Electricity and Water. We went through those requirements and we checked very carefully to see what would happen if a disaster occurred to one of those aquariums with a visual display of a certain thickness and a concrete tank even thicker and the fish got out into the sewerage system. We were assured that neither the fish themselves nor the disease they carry would get through the sewerage system. In other words, there is a fail-safe mechanism. (Extension of time granted)
So it is mainly a technical issue of plumbing, and that technical issue indicates that Mr Da Deppo's designers and his curator have done an excellent job in ensuring that the system is, as far as we can tell, safe. But because of the danger to the waterways, we still have some minor concern, and that concern is probably taken care of in our recommendation 6 - that is, that an assessment should be carried out by an independent person or body on the operation of the aquarium systems two months after operations begin. In other words, let the technical experts have a look and be doubly or triply sure that the technical systems do work and that, if any work needs to be done, a second assessment be carried out four months later.
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