Page 610 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 May 1992
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He has been associated with Canberra since it was founded and his family has been grazing livestock in the Territory, and, in particular, around Red Hill, since 1920. His personal involvement goes back some 60 years, since he was a young man. He started with sheep and cattle and even today both sheep and cattle are grazed on Red Hill. These days he keeps principally just a handful of cows which he runs on his lease. Like many leases in the ACT, it is a relatively short-term one. It is for approximately 360 hectares.
Mr Wood: It has been a 60-year lease, hasn't it?
MR HUMPHRIES: Not a 60-year lease; it has been a periodic lease of various periods. It would never have been a 60-year lease. I have to correct the Minister.
Mr Kaine: Obviously, Mr Wood wants to debate this. I presume that he will say something when it is his turn.
MR HUMPHRIES: I presume that he will say something about it later on, yes. But I have to take issue; it was never a 60-year lease, I am sure. It would always have been like many leases of much shorter duration which were periodically renewed. The Minister, I hope, has not overlooked the important report that came down last year on rural leaseholds and the important recommendation in that report that rural leases ought to be given for longer periods than they are presently given.
Mr Wood: Some of them.
MR HUMPHRIES: Well, some of them; I take that point. Certainly, they should be considered in general for a somewhat longer duration. Mr Russell has told me and my colleague Mr Westende that he has had nothing but cooperation from the bureaucracy up until about four years ago, when he was told in no uncertain terms - not officially perhaps, but told nonetheless - that his stock were no longer wanted on Red Hill.
I have to say that, after examining the correspondence that has passed between him and the bureaucrats since that time, I have to come to the conclusion that Mr Russell has been harassed since that time on this question. More and more restrictions have been applied in a concerted effort, I have to say, Madam Speaker, to force Mr Russell off Red Hill. He presently keeps 15 fully-grown cattle on Red Hill and he raises vealers for sale in June of each year. It is a pretty small operation; it is not exactly Dallas. But it is something which keeps him occupied and which does give many people in the region of Red Hill considerable pleasure.
As I indicated before, there has been concern about the management of rural leases in the ACT, and it is appropriate that this matter be kept under close review by the ACT Administration. Indeed, that has happened. He has been officially allowed to graze 15 cattle and 15 calves. In fact, at the present time, he frankly admits to me, he has a few more than that. He does have his 15 fully-grown cattle, but he also has 20 or maybe 25 calves. That figure fluctuates. The reason for that is quite simple. When the cows become pregnant - I am feeling my way here; I am not exactly a man of the land - - -
Mr Connolly: We saw your picture; the hat, the horse. It is the Man From Snowy River.
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