Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Blaxland for his courage and wish him well on his journey. I rise to highlight community concerns in relation to the environmental health of the Gippsland Lakes and catchment. Gippsland Lakes are a tourism icon for my region and are highly valued by the local community. They are the largest inland waterway in the Southern Hemisphere and a quite magnificent network of lakes and rivers. The Ramsar listed wetlands are a feature of the Gippsland Lakes system. However, the environmental characteristics of the Gippsland Lakes have changed dramatically since European settlement about 150 years ago. For example, the installation of an artificial entrance has meant that a mainly freshwater system is now predominantly saltwater and this has had an impact on the vegetation and the environment of the lakes. Activities in the catchment with industrialisation of major towns and agricultural impacts have also flowed through to what is quite an extensive coastal lagoon system but, in the context of the size of the catchment, quite a small area of lake systems to manage the impacts that are flowing through from the catchment.

The lakes are under stress as was pointed out by leading CSIRO researcher Graham Harris as long as eight years ago at a forum in Sale when he said that the lakes were at a tipping point and they could go either way. Signs of stress are evident in recent algal blooms. Over the past 10 years we have had quite a few and they have a major impact on people’s capacity to enjoy the lake system and also an economic impact in terms of the tourism industry.

I am an optimist by nature and I believe that with the resourcefulness of the people, good science and the goodwill of so many volunteers on the ground in their practical environment at work we can in fact save the Gippsland Lakes. I am confident that the lakes can recover but it will take a willingness from governments at both levels to work faster and provide more resources to the community. The Gippsland Lakes task force has a target of reducing the nutrient load flowing into the lake system by 40 per cent and work has already begun in that regard.

Currently the state government is considering its next round of funding for the lakes. There is normally a two- to three-year time frame. I believe the state government should allocate at least $10 million over the next three years to maintain and improve the environment of the Gippsland Lakes and catchment. The environmental challenges facing the Gippsland Lakes and catchment require ongoing and concerted efforts on the ground along with additional funding for the research required to overcome some of the knowledge gaps we currently have. The health of the lakes and catchment is critical to the social, economic and cultural life of our region and I will be continuing to fight to make sure we receive our fair share of state and federal government funding in that regard.

My figure of $10 million is based on the original funding commitment from 2002 to 2006 of the former Bracks government, which saw $3.2 million per year provided for the task force activities, which are primarily aimed at, as I said, reducing the nutrient flow into the system. Unfortunately, the former Deputy Premier, John Thwaites, cut that funding in half in 2006. Last year a public meeting attended by more than 200 people in Bairnsdale unanimously supported my position that both the state and federal governments’ funding commitments must be increased for the long-term health of the Gippsland Lakes and catchment. I believe that both the task force and the Gippsland Coastal Board have done a good job with the limited resources they have at their disposal. But if we really want to make a difference to the environmental health of the Gippsland Lakes it is going to take a lot more than the funding currently provided from the state and federal governments.

Keep in mind the environmental challenges which the recent bushfires have also presented in the west of the catchment area. The burnt hillsides are going to be a threat to the water quality if we experience heavy rain before there is any chance for the vegetation to re-establish itself. There is an enormous amount of work required in the catchment area to minimise the impact of those fires in addition to the ongoing projects on private land to reduce the flow of nutrients. I understand the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has indicated that the Caring for our Country funding will be increased to assist in the bushfire affected communities, and I take him at his word that that will happen.

From the Rudd government’s perspective, the contribution to the environmental health of the catchment has been 16 months of promises and unfortunately not a cent has made it onto the ground at this stage. That is not a record to be proud of. The Labor Party promised $3 million over three years during the 2007 campaign and to date not a single project has been funded. It is my understanding that the federal government has just finalised contracts for the money to be provided to the local catchment management authorities, but nothing has actually flowed yet to projects on the ground. The Gippsland Lakes will need our help now and into the future, and the community expects us to do better.

Finally, in the time I have left, I would like to highlight the questions that are arising now in terms of Australia meeting its obligations to the Ramsar listed wetlands. As I mentioned, the Gippsland Lakes is a Ramsar listed wetland. Australia was one of the first five founding nations to sign the Ramsar convention in 1971 and now, with 65 wetlands of significance, there is a concern that Australia—and this is not a criticism of the current government; it has been governments over many years—has failed to live up to the treaty. It is very easy to sign these treaties but we need to meet our obligations to these international conventions. It is something I will be pursuing further with the government.