ESTIMATES COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS – 17 JUNE 2010
Mr WOINARSKI: Me again?
Mr HAMPTON: Sure.
Mr WOINARSKI: The monitoring component of our crocodile management is about $70 000 to $100
000 per year.
Mr CHANDLER: Excellent. Moving off crocodiles, minister. The Draft Marine Protected Area Strategy
is now two years overdue. When is this strategy likely to be released?
Mr HAMPTON: Mr Grant.
Mr GRANT: The Marine Park Strategy is being held up by the Blue Mud Bay issues mostly, and we
are hoping to have something out by the end of this year.
Mr CHANDLER: Excellent. Does that strategy include a time frame of delivering a network of marine
sanctuaries?
Mr HAMPTON: Mr Grant.
Mr GRANT: It would have a time line for the establishment of some sanctuaries, but the sanctuaries
that related to Indigenous areas at that time were not, I do not think, the exact. But, certainly the ones
that relate to other areas will have a timetable.
Mr CHANDLER: Right, thank you. Moving on to biodiversity, could you tell me about the Lesser Stick
Nest Rat. Is this still extinct?
Mr HAMPTON: That is a very good question, member for Brennan.
Mr CHANDLER: I understand the Central Rock Rat has been rediscovered, and I congratulate the
department on finding that particular rat. So, it was a logical question.
Mr HAMPTON: I will hand that over to Mr Woinarski.
Mr CHANDLER: There might be some history here.
Mr WOINARSKI: Following your line of humour, there are actually two Stick Nest Rats - the Greater
and the Lesser.
Mr CHANDLER: Yes.
Mr WOINARSKI: One is now extinct, unfortunately.
Mr CHANDLER: The Lesser?
Mr WOINARSKI: Yes.
Mr WOOD: That is why it was lesser.
Mr CHANDLER: Could you tell me also how many species have had their status downgraded from
threatened, endangered or, in fact, extinct?
ESTIMATES COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS – 17 JUNE 2010
Mr HAMPTON: Mr Woinarski.
Mr WOINARSKI: Sure. The question is nuanced in that there is both a listing of threatened species in
Australia-wide and a list in the Northern Territory. The two are not necessarily identical. For the
Northern Territory, we review the threatened status at roughly four- to five-year intervals, and it will be
done this year. That is when we will consider whether some species will be upgraded, downgraded, or
delisted.
Mr CHANDLER: Excellent. Moving on to weeds if I can, minister, can you please provide detail into
why the budget for the Strategic Weed Management Program has been slashed, and I know that is a
bad term, from $640 000 down to $450 00. Is the weed problem not as bad today as it was last year?
Mr HAMPTON: Certainly, in terms of the weeds and the programs that we have, we do have a list of
weeds that we list as weeds, basically, but I am happy for Diana Leeder to answer that question.
Ms LEEDER: Diana Leeder, Executive Director, Natural Resources. Member for Brennan, the budget
in 2009-10 actually included some additional money from a previous program, and so what we have
then in the ongoing years is the new allocation to it without a carry forward from some previously
unexpended funds, so that actually enabled us to spend some time and effort into devising the
Strategic Weed Management Program, and then work out the implementation and commence that in
more strategically targeted areas, rather than just hit and miss.
Mr CHANDLER: Excellent. Minister, has any research been undertaken in regard to the viability of
harvesting mimosa for distilling tannin? And the follow-up question to that is, is it something that the
government would consider?
Mr HAMPTON: Again, I am happy for Diana Leeder to answer that.
Ms LEEDER: I am not sure that research has been done into that particular aspect of use of mimosa,
but I know, from time to time, including as recently as today, the department is approached by
organisations from outside the Territory suggesting that they are interested in carrying out that
research. I would have to take on notice what the requests about mimosa were, but I know a couple
of years ago some research was done and found not to be viable.
____________________________
Question on Notice No 8.5
Mr CHAIRMAN: Do you want to ask that question on notice?
Mr CHANDLER: Yes, if I can, fine. Can I add something to that, though. Actually, it is a separate
question on mimosa, and that is I am aware of, sorry …
Mr CHAIRMAN: Well, we will move on - do you want to ask that question on notice?
Mr CHANDLER: Has any research been undertaken in regard to the viability of harvesting mimosa
for distilling the tannin?
Mr CHAIRMAN: That is question No 8.5.
____________________________
Mr CHANDLER: And if I can, just a follow on to that, I am aware, down on the Mary River system,
and isn’t that terrible, I cannot think of the property name …
Mr Wood: Melaleuca.
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