Page 4357 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 30 November 1994
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Kangaroos - Departmental Action
MR STEFANIAK: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is directed to the Minister for the Environment. I refer the Minister to an incident that occurred last Thursday, 24 November, at the Canberra Nature Park off Hindmarsh Drive, Red Hill, when an officer of the Parks and Conservation Branch attended a media conference given by the Opposition and the Conservation Council of the South-East Region and Canberra. Is it the Minister's usual policy to send public servants, off duty or otherwise, to Opposition and community media conferences? Was that particular officer contacted at home and told to attend the media conference? If so, why, Minister?
MR WOOD: What a remarkable question that is, coming from the warm and fuzzy shadow Environment Minister, who has a proposal to keep sound levels at unacceptably high maximums! It is an interesting question. I received advice, on whatever day it was, that people were presenting what, I understand, they regarded as a serious proposal to deal with kangaroos. I said, "Oh, that is interesting. We should know about it". I did two things. I checked back in my memory, because from another activity many years ago I had a vague memory of it and I wanted information on this. I thought I had some material in my files; but it was on another kangaroo protection device, not this one. I did ask people from the Parks and Conservation Branch to attend and to give me a report on the working of this device.
It is strange that Mr Stefaniak asks this question, because he was in company with the Conservation Council of the South-East Region and Canberra, and representatives of that body habitually turn up at my media conferences. I am glad that they do. This seems to me to be a case where, if I had not sent someone or had not shown any interest, Mr Stefaniak would have been standing up and saying, "Why are you not interested? Why were you not there?". You are damned if you do, and you are damned if you do not. I have to say to Mr Stefaniak that the Opposition is not really covering itself with distinction in the questions it is asking today.
Let me return to this proposal. I went back to a Senate select committee report, because that was what had prompted my memory. When they were looking at the problem of kangaroos they were asked to report on this same scheme, and they turned it down. They said, "No, it did not work". At that time - this was ahead of self-government, so we were not involved - the then Parks and Conservation Service, if that was its precise title, set up a full study for this.
Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Madam Speaker, I again draw your attention to standing order 118. The Minister is giving us a great lecture. He has had plenty of time to answer the question, and he has not done so. I would ask you to make a ruling on the matter.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you for bringing that to my attention.
MR WOOD: Another barometer!
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! The standing order requires the answer to be concise.
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