Page 1046 - Week 03 - Thursday, 3 April 2008

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Environment—weed control
(Question No 1934)

Mrs Dunne asked the Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change, upon notice, on 4 March 2008:

(1) How much (a) was spent in the financial years (i) 2001/02, (ii) 2002/03, (iii) 2003/04, (iv) 2004/05, (v) 2005/06 and (vi) 2006/07 and (b) is proposed to be spent in 2007-08 on the management, containment and eradication of weeds in the ACT;

(2) What techniques are used to manage weeds in the ACT;

(3) Does the Minister’s department operate under particular protocols to limit the spread of weeds;

(4) Are their particular programs to alert the community to or to eradicate particular weeds or classes of weeds, for example woody weeds, serrated tussock and African love grass;

(5) What co-operation or partnerships are there between Environment ACT and landholders, community groups, and contractors to eradicate weeds.

Mr Stanhope: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) The ACT Government spent the following amounts on weed control:

These figures include weed contracts managed by Parks, Conservation and Lands and weed control undertaken by field staff.

(2) The ACT Government encourages the use of integrated pest management to control weeds in the ACT. Non-herbicide control includes slashing thistles before they set seed, grazing eg using sheep to graze St John’s wort rosettes during winter, moving livestock from paddocks before overgrazing occurs, encouraging leaseholders through land management agreements to practice rotational grazing, encouraging vehicle hygiene when vehicles move from weed infested sites to relatively weed free areas, and thorough wash down of Parks and Reserves slashers between reserves.

Herbicide control includes: use of quick-spray units on vehicles for spot and boom spraying, knapsacks and portable quick-spray units for weed control in inaccessible areas, aerial spraying in some of the former forestry areas, and frill stem inject and cut and paint for weed tree control, eg. willows.

(3) The ACT Weeds Strategy is currently being updated. This complements the Federal Government’s strategies for control of weeds of national significance.

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