Page 612 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 May 1992
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What we really need to have is activities like cattle and sheep grazing there to do that in a natural fashion. As I have indicated also, the grazing of animals tends to reduce the infestation of noxious weeds.
Another important benefit is the diversification of economic activity in the ACT. The rural sector may not be important in terms of generating many jobs or a great deal of income to the ACT; nonetheless it is significant. I for one would be loath to see this particular activity, this particular industry in the ACT, disappear purely because of unnecessary bureaucratic interference.
Another extremely important aspect of this operation is the interface between urban and rural Australia. That cannot be overemphasised, I believe, Madam Speaker. We have here the grazing of cattle in a way which has gone on for many years before the ACT even existed, and it is going on within cooee of the national parliament of our country. There is great value in that, Madam Speaker, I would suggest. It reminds us of the rural origins of our nation. It reminds us of a very important part of our national activity even today. I understand that you often get taxi drivers taking Japanese tourists up to Red Hill just so that while they are in the national capital they can have a look at these cattle grazing so close to the national city - something which would never happen in Japan, obviously. That is something of value to all of us.
Local residents appreciate that interaction very much. I know; I used to be one of those local residents. I have had many representations from people in Red Hill, as I am sure has the Minister, saying that what Charlie Russell represents in that part of the ACT is extremely important and should be preserved. I used to wake in the morning sometimes to lowing cattle - well, maybe they were cows, I am not sure - and that was a part of living in Red Hill which was important. People in Red Hill make frequent use of the nature trails on Red Hill. The existence of those animals does not interfere with that; indeed, I would argue that it enhances it.
Madam Speaker, it has been suggested that Mr Russell's cows or cattle are damaging or threatening an endangered species, the button wrinklewort. Again there is an argument here about whether it is possible for Mr Russell's cattle to coexist with that plant. I might point out that there were large numbers of button wrinklewort on Capital Hill before it was bulldozed to build the new Parliament House, but that did not appear to be a problem when it came to constructing a rather important building.
The fact of life is, Madam Speaker, that Mr Russell's cattle and the button wrinklewort have coexisted on Red Hill for decades. To suggest to me now that it is impossible for them to continue to coexist for, let us say, the few more years that Mr Russell might be grazing on Red Hill is just ridiculous. Frankly, it seems to me, Madam Speaker, that somebody is clutching at straws and I do not think that we can allow that kind of escalation, if you like, in environmental debate to reach that point. I am not suggesting for one moment that we should not be taking active steps to preserve the button wrinklewort; but we need to be aware that the argument has the potential at least to be overstated, and I particularly do not wish to see that happen in this case.
I emphasise, as I said the other day, that when we are talking about heritage in the ACT we are not talking about just inert things; we are not talking about just buildings or old artefacts; we are talking about a number of aspects which are not only inert but also living. In the context of the debate the other day, we are
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