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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2357 ..

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In January of this year, I asked the Committee to investigate the potential for recreational use of the Cotter reservoir and advise me on the implications of changing the current prohibition on recreational access. The Committee has now completed its investigation and has reported to me on the matter.

Mr Speaker, I have considered the report of the ACT Environment Advisory Committee in relation to recreational access to the Cotter reservoir. I am able to advise members that I have accepted the Committee's recommendation that the existing prohibition on recreational access to the Cotter reservoir should be maintained, primarily to maintain protection of the threatened Macquarie Perch of which there is a healthy population in the storage.

Rural lands contribute in a substantial way to the natural resources of the Territory and considerable responsibility falls to rural landholders for their protection. While management for sustainable production necessarily must address environmental conservation issues, there also may be special biodiversity values that are not accommodated adequately in the reserve system. Economic implications may need to be recognised as a broader community responsibility.

In December 1996, 1 announced the formation of a Rural Policy Taskforce to review rural land policies. A key objective contained in its terms of reference is to ensure the protection of conservation values forming part of the Territory's landscape setting.

In April 1997, the Task Force released a discussion paper which canvasses a range of issues and options for rural land policy. An enhanced Property Management Agreement process emerges as a widely supported mechanism for achieving ecologically sustainable land use.

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