Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

On 22 March, Senator Waters asked me a question about the Bimblebox Nature Refuge. I seek leave to incorporate the answer in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The answer read as follows—

QUESTION

Does the federal government still agree that Bimblebox is an area of high conversation value?

RESPONSE

Yes. The Australian government provided funding for the Bimblebox Nature Refuge through the National Heritage Trust for inclusion in the National Reserve System (NRS), in recognition of the property's excellent condition and high biodiversity values.

The addition of Bimblebox to the NRS increased the level of protection in the under-represented Desert Uplands bioregion from 3.08 per cent to 3.20 per cent and the Alice Tablelands sub region from 4.26 per cent to 4.54 per cent. Sites within the property contain the greatest understorey floristic biodiversity for Poplar Box Woodland and Silver Leaf Ironbark (vegetation communities listed as "of concern" under Queensland legislation) within the under-represented Desert Uplands bioregion.

National environment law does not give the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities the power to decide mining leases or to make commercial decisions on mining proposals. National environment law does, however, protect certain species relevant to the Bimblebox Nature Refuge, such as the endangered Black-Throated Finch, the endangered Star Finch and the vulnerable Squatter Pigeon. The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Com­munities will not approve any proposal that will have an unacceptable impact on any of these species or any other matter protected under national environment law.