Page 1927 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 May 2010
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More broadly, though, we are concerned about the lack of systematic funding for our parks and reserves. We are hearing anecdotally that parks are increasingly under-resourced in terms of ranger support being stretched and delays on management plans. This is an area that I will be hoping we can get some clarity on in estimates, as it appears that we have not quite got a clear handle on how ranger services are allocated across our parks or how resources are allocated.
We need to be clear that we cannot create new park areas without allocating extra resources to their management; nor can we proceed on the path of urban development without giving consideration to maintaining the biodiversity values in the regions we are developing in. Specifically, the new development in Molonglo valley will drive the need for increased resources to manage at-risk species and habitats. The impact of humans on our environment generally requires more management, not less, as my colleague Meredith Hunter outlined yesterday. Recreational activities, feral animals and weeds all present a huge challenge to the protection of biodiversity in our parks.
Turning to the Justice and Community Safety sections of this budget, there are welcome increases in funding for some key areas. We are pleased to see those investments and will scrutinise them in the coming weeks to ensure that the detailed implementation plans attached to each program represent the very best approach to achieving the stated goals. The government have stated goals such as reducing court waiting times and increasing public safety late at night. The detail on the implementation where we can ensure we really are getting the best bang for buck with those programs will be the important consideration that we will be seeking to pursue in estimates.
There are, however, missed opportunities in the budget. The Greens have identified some actions that should have occurred now to close gaps in the legal system. Securing better office accommodation for the five community legal centres would have given volunteer lawyers somewhere to work from. Because the government has not acted on this, the community legal centres will continue to turn away lawyers who want to provide pro bono assistance. That is a stark example of a missed opportunity. The Greens will continue to advocate for action on this issue.
Let me turn to some areas where we have seen action. The Women’s Legal Centre looks to have received recurrent funding, which is a welcome improvement on the current situation, where they receive only one-off, year-by-year funding. I will say that the budget papers are not absolutely clear about how the total allocated figure of $162,000 will be split between the Women’s Legal Centre and other “community sector” groups mentioned in the budget description. This is something we will be pursuing closely in estimates. We are particularly keen to ensure that the centre has received funding for its Indigenous liaison officer. Funding for that current position runs out at the end of the next month. The position has been a success. The Indigenous liaison officer is responsible for linking Indigenous women out in the community with the help available at the Women’s Legal Centre. Since the position started five years ago, the number of Indigenous women accessing the centre has increased seven times.
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