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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (20 June) . . Page.. 2278 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

off by $600 million a year, with sub-Saharan Africa actually worse off by $1.2 billion. The UN development program also says that 70 per cent of the gains of the Uruguay Round will go to developed countries, with most of the rest going to a relatively few large export oriented developing countries.

Members might also be interested in one of the responses from Africa, which is the African model legislation for the protection of the rights of local communities, farmers and breeders. Indigenous agricultural and biological resources are vitally important to the economies, cultures, environment, food security and livelihoods of sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular its small holder farmers. A significant number of groups, NGO, civil society, labour and faith-based-not brick-throwing loony lefties as the Liberals were saying today-within and without Africa are advocating to keep Africa's biodiversity, seeds, plants, biological resources and food security under the control of sovereign states, local communities and small holder farmers. Public access to and communal prerogative over biological resources are rooted in basic social justice principles directly tied to certain rights. Those related to food, land, secure livelihoods, cultural identity, environmental integrity and the protection of the common good are among the most important.

Africa has taken a lead role, exemplified by the initiatives of the Africa Group at the World Trade Organisation, in resisting efforts to cede control of its biological and agricultural resources through privatisation.

Death of Robert Klippel

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Business, Tourism and the Arts and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (11.51), in reply: Mr Speaker, I want to say a few words about one Robert Klippel, perhaps Australia's most important living sculptor until yesterday when he died at the age of 81. Robert Klippel, a shy publicity-shunning ex-RAN model-maker who joined lumps of rusted iron with cogwheels, bolts, springs and bits of wire to become Australia's most celebrated sculptor, died in Sydney yesterday on his 81st first birthday. Klippel once said:

Klippel was unquestionably Australia's most significant sculptor. His singular vision, inspired by the intricacies and the profusion of our material environment and his quest for a spiritually relevant form, stands alone in the annals of Australian art. Robert Hughes once claimed Klippel as an outstanding figure of Australian art and one of the few sculptors worthy of international attention.

Those are just a few words written in honour of Robert in today's Sydney Morning Herald. I just wished to bring to the attention of the Assembly the passing of our perhaps greatest sculptor.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Assembly adjourned at 11.53 pm

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