Page 4080 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 24 October 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
bogong moths - a subject well covered by Dr Josephine Flood. The moths continue to come here as part of their annual life cycle. They congregate in the rocky crevices found in the large granite boulders that are a feature of mountains in the area including Namadgi National Park. However, as we are all well aware, these days they have chosen to stop off at the new granite structure on Capital Hill and maybe not fly quite so far. I am not sure whether there are any initiation ceremonies going on at Capital Hill at the moment, but certainly the moths are coming here and they are relating to Canberra.
There are also excellent examples of European cultural heritage in the park. One of those is Orroral homestead. Although it is not located in the wilderness zone, it is an example of scientifically conducted archaeological investigations which have required excavation. It is very important to ensure - as Ms Follett has already indicated - that such scientific work is conducted in accordance with the principles of good environmental management. The excavation is currently under way as a joint project between the National Parks Association and the Environment and Conservation Bureau. The objective of the project is to investigate the site for all early European artefacts and stabilise the homestead, so that it may be used as an example of a grazing property and shown to visitors as part of a guided tour. This Bill is related to scientifically conducted archaeological investigations of cultural heritage sites and wilderness zones. It is important that these investigations can go ahead with the appropriate controls, so that we can improve our understanding of the cultural heritage in the region and, in particular, the Aboriginal cultural heritage. I commend the Bill to the Assembly.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (4.20), in reply: Mr Speaker, members will be aware that on World Environment Day, 5 June 1990, the Government announced the extension of Namadgi National Park to include the North Cotter, Mount Tennent and Blue Gum Creek. These amendments to the Nature Conservation Act are a further demonstration of the Government's commitment to the environment and to improving our knowledge of it.
Namadgi National Park is an important asset of the ACT, and the Government is committed to ensuring that it is afforded the best possible management. One of the ways in which the Government is improving this is by improving our understanding of the cultural heritage of the park and, of course, the Bimberi wilderness zone. Wilderness zones are declared under section 52 of the Nature Conservation Act, and section 59 of the Act specifically prohibits excavations in a wilderness zone. This is intended to protect the values in the wilderness area from being disturbed. There may be a requirement in the future to investigate the cultural resources of the Bimberi wilderness zone. At that time it may require a
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .