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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (13 October) . . Page.. 3085 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

The ACT Government has entered into agreements with other land managers in the ACT, including the Commonwealth Department of Defence, the National Capital Authority, CSIRO and Environment Australia. In September 1998 these parties entered into memoranda of understanding which provide a framework for coordinated conservation and management of threatened species in the ACT across Commonwealth owned land. The Government is continuing to support a regional approach to biodiversity conservation and is a member of the Regional Biodiversity Survey Group.

Membership of the group includes government agencies, local councils, community groups and the Housing Industry Association of the ACT. The group is identifying significant conservation assets in the ACT and surrounding parts of New South Wales and developing a regional conservation strategy. The ACT has been working cooperatively with other State governments on a number of other projects. In particular, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve has been involved in a number of successful research programs, including participation in the Victorian brush-tailed rock wallaby recovery program which has been conducted for a number of years. Tidbinbilla has been very successful in cross-fostering young rock wallabies and is acknowledged as a leading institution for breeding these animals.

There has been collaboration with the Marsupial Cooperative Research Centre to undertake research into marsupial fertility and its application for control of problem species and the use of the reserve for trials of the kangaroo fertility controls. It is also participating in the Australasian species management program with Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, to encourage captive breeding of the native speckled duck communities throughout Australia. This has resulted in the captive bird population more than doubling from 23 birds to 51 birds in Australia. Again, Mr Speaker, these are fine examples of how the conservator, through his work helps protect and, indeed, saves the biodiversity of not only the ACT but further Australia.

The ACT has been the leader in a program supported by Commonwealth funds to identify remnant native grasslands in the ACT and develop conservation management strategies for them. The ACT Government, the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature Australia and the Australian Botanical Gardens, have also combined to publish a field guide for grassland flora in the Southern Tablelands.

On 11 August, Environment ACT jointly sponsored a workshop at Queanbeyan on pasture management for production catchment and biodiversity. Today, a course on property management planning is being run for the benefit of rural lessees. As Mr Osborne, I am sure, can testify, the conservator and his staff continue to work actively with ACT rural lessees on a better understanding of their biodiversity responsibilities.

Mr Speaker, an important aspect of the nature conservation strategy identified as a priority has been off-reserve conservation requiring cooperation with managers of private and leased land. The ACT Government is reviewing the property management agreement process with a view to enhancing land management arrangements with rural

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