Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I want to briefly respond to Senator Siewert’s issues. Senator Siewert said, quite rightly, that it was important to have an Indigenous person on the board. As I initially indicated, it is a government amendment. It is in the government’s bill and it is being supported by the opposition. I also mentioned Melissa George as an appropriate appointment. Senator Siewert acknowledges that that person has knowledge and experience of the Barrier Reef and of cultural issues relevant to it so she, for that reason amongst others, supports it. But why does the same not apply, Senator Siewert, in relation to the tourism operators? Again, they have the actual knowledge and experience and, as Senator Xenophon has just said, the pristine state of the Barrier Reef is perhaps more commercially important to the tourism industry than it is to anyone else. The tourism industry would have as much interest as even the most ardent environmentalist in making sure the reef is properly managed.

Again, as Senator Xenophon points out, these are ministerial appointments. It is not the industry appointing someone. That is up to the minister. The minister has discretion. There can be five people on the board—a chairman and up to four others. There is currently a total of only four, but it can be five. I think it is appropriate that one of those five board members should be an Indigenous person and that another should have real and direct knowledge and experience of the Great Barrier Reef. It is up to the minister to appoint whomever he likes. Senator Siewert said that the authority would be consulting before the appointment. Of course, it is not the authority who appoints the board members; it is actually the minister. Sure, the minister will consult. It is entirely within his discretion, as I understand it. But this amendment will require that, of the five people whom the minister has to pick, one will be an Indigenous person and another will have direct involvement in and knowledge of industries on the reef.

Taking into account what Senator Xenophon said, and subject to a short consultation with my colleagues in the chamber, I indicate that I could amend my amendment by deleting the words ‘or another industry’. The amendment would read:

At least one member must have knowledge of or experience in the tourism industry associated with the Marine Park.

I will think about that. Perhaps it does not even need the words ‘associated with the Marine Park’. I will give notice of an alteration to my amendment by deleting the words ‘or another industry’ in the hope that it may encourage Senator Xenophon to vote for the amendment.