Page 1381 - Week 04 - Thursday, 10 April 2008
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ways weed seed can move between areas if vehicles and equipment are not kept clean. Parks Ranger staff also enforce a clean vehicle policy for contractors.
4. Under the Pest Plants and Animals Act 2005 there is the provision for Pest Plant Management Plans. These are written to assist land managers meet their weed control obligations. An example is the draft Mexican feather grass pest plant management plan. A weed alert flyer has also been produced for the control of this notifiable and prohibited weed. This is being distributed to land managers across Canberra. Parks, Conservation & Lands staff also run information sessions for staff, Parkcare volunteers and rural leaseholders. There are also free brochures such as 'Garden Plants Going Bush’ and there will be a new booklet published in conjunction with the plant nursery industry called ‘Grow-Me-Instead’ to encourage the use of non-invasive garden plants.
There have also been field days looking at serrated tussock and Chilean needle grass control. These have been attended by both Parks, Conservation & Lands staff, rural leaseholders, contractors, and neighbouring local and state government staff.
5. The Parkcare and Urban Landcare programs have been very successful in working in partnership with Parks, Conservation & Lands (PCL) tackling weed issues. For example the Red Hill Parkcare group (Red Hill Regenerators) has worked with the Parks staff to halt the spread of St John's Wort and Chilean needle grass into areas where the nationally endangered native daisy, the Button Wrinklewort, grows.
Most of the weed control work in the ACT is done by contractors. These contracts are managed by Parks, Conservation & Lands Rangers and Technical Officers.
In the rural area Parks Conservation & Lands undertakes roadside weed spraying of invasive weeds to complement weed control activities on neighbouring rural leases. It is often from road edges, which are highly disturbed sites, that invasive weeds like African lovegrass can establish and then move into neighbouring land.
Environment—photovoltaic arrays
(Question No 1939)
Mrs Dunne asked the Minister for Planning, upon notice, on 4 March 2008:
(1) How many photovoltaic arrays were (a) installed and (b) approved for installation on houses in Canberra on 29 February 2008;
(2) How many photovoltaic arrays were (a) installed and (b) approved for installation on houses in Canberra as at 31 December in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003, (iv) 2004, (v) 2005, (vi) 2006 and (vii) 2007.
Mr Barr: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) Under the Land (Planning and Environment) Regulation, 1992 (Schedule 2, Item 10) the “Installation, alteration or removal of an externally mounted photovoltaic panel” is exempt from development and building approval provided that the exemption criteria detailed in the relevant Guidelines are complied with. I am therefore unable to provide any reliable statistics relating to either the installation of, or approvals for, photovoltaic panels.
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