THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER

 

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

RADIO INTERVIEW

ABC DARWIN DRIVE WITH LIZ TREVASKIS

WEDNESDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2022

 

SUBJECTS: Kakadu National Park’s Cahills Crossing reopening; Gouldian Finch survey at Lee Point; Gamba grass.

 

LIZ TREVASKIS, HOST: It was years ago now that both Labor and the Coalition promised over $260 million to upgrade the Park. But before the federal election campaign earlier this year, it was revealed by ABC Darwin that only $17 million of that funding had been spent. But today, the new Cahills Crossing Viewing Area has reopened following a $3 million upgrade at the site. The upgrades include a new picnic area, viewing platforms, and a rainforest walk. It does sound quite spiffy and less dangerous than what we were hearing about happening down at Cahills earlier this year. The new viewing platform, it looks directly over the crossing, so visitors will have this really safe vantage point where they can watch up to maybe 40, 50 crocs feeding during those high tides. Tanya Plibersek is the Federal Minister for the Environment and Water. She's the Minister responsible for Kakadu and she's with us this afternoon. Good afternoon, Minister.

 

TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Oh hi, Liz. It's great to be with you.

 

TREVASKIS: Why is this such a significant day for Kakadu National Park?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, it's very significant because we're getting on with the job of investing the money that's been set aside for years to upgrade the park, actually making sure that it delivers some benefit to people who live in the park, people who visit the park. So this is a really exciting early project with upgrading, as you said, upgrading the viewing platforms so you'll be able to safely have a look at some of these really big crocodiles, especially during the spring floods. And there'll be a new picnic area and there'll be sort of a rainforest boardwalk that will connect up some of these viewing platforms.

 

TREVASKIS: Have you ever been out to Cahills Crossing?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: I have. One of my very first trips as Minister was to Kakadu National Park and it was a fantastic opportunity. I was camping with traditional owners and with park staff and having a look at some of the really necessary work that needs to be done there. So, of course, we're talking about the upgrade of this viewing platform and picnic area today, but we've also started construction on the East Alligator Ranger Station compound rebuild, and we hope to have that finished in January next year. And we've started construction on an upgrade of the Integrated Ferals Team compound at the Kakadu National Park headquarters, and we're hoping to finish that in January as well. And I think the staff housing at East Alligator Ranger Stations are really important, we're hoping to finish that by February. So it'll be a real wave of building over the next few months.

 

TREVASKIS: A lot of frustration earlier this year when it was revealed field that only 17 million of the promised $276 had been spent. Do you know how much of that funding has now been spent on upgrades at Kakadu?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yeah, we’ve spent already - the 31st July, which is the most recent financial year figure we have, $26.8 million had been spent, but I've also contracted a further $22.6 million. So those jobs that I was just talking about, the upgrades to the Feral Team's compound and the housing and so on, that takes the spending to close to $50 million.

 

TREVASKIS: So there's still more than $200 from that promised spending. Has it been allocated? Are there other big plans on the horizon? And I'll just mention that earlier this year, the tourism operators were really calling for more draw card attractions. Is that something that operators and tourists can look forward to?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yeah, absolutely. And in fact, what we're doing at the moment is having a look at the Kakadu National Park Precinct Plan, the tenders currently undergoing evaluation, and that will really inform our further investment. We need to do this in a way that's strategic, that adds to the tourism draw card of this magnificent place, but also respects the views of traditional owners of the area. So we have to do it in a proper and thorough and consultative way. One of the reasons that this spending that was originally promised years ago has been so slow in rolling out is because the previous government, the consultation that was done with traditional owners was so inadequate that, in fact, at least one of the projects ended up in court. And nobody wants that to happen.

 

TREVASKIS: So what are you doing as the new Minister to ensure that those relationships don't sour like they did under the previous government?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, we've changed the leadership at the very top levels of the national parks and I think that's making a really big difference. We are proceeding with this planning so that we can properly, respectfully consult with traditional owners for the remainder of the work that has to be done. I think it is important that we work in partnership with traditional owners. Traditional owners want the culture, the natural heritage, values of the park protected and respected, but they also want to see economic development. They have kids and grandkids who they want to see employed in tourism and related industries as well. So there's a lot of willingness and enthusiasm to work together to improve the visitor experience in the national park and also to upgrade the sort of facilities that everybody uses, the people who visit and the people who live there.

 

TREVASKIS: Tanya Plibersek is the Federal Minister for the Environment. She's the Minister responsible for Kakadu National Park’s new viewing platform at Cahills Crossing. It's open today. Minister, I've had quite a few texts from listeners this afternoon who knew you'd be joining me. They would like to know about the department, sorry, the defence housing project at Lee Point community campaigners have been pushing for you to review the approval of that project since all these beautiful Gouldian Finches turned up recently. Are you reviewing the approval of the DHA project at Lee Point?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, the first thing to say is that Gouldian Finches are beautiful and we've been very excited to see increasing numbers of Gouldian Finches. At the moment, defence housing and my department are working together to survey the area and have a look at the habitat of the Gouldian Finch and the project. Once we have a proper scientific evaluation of what's going on in the area, we'll use that information and other relevant information, and that includes the sort of correspondence I'm getting from your listeners to assess any implications for the project. Because I'm the eventual legal decision maker potentially in this area, I can't really give you opinions on this matter. I can't speculate on the matter, I can just talk to you about - that's where the process is.

 

TREVASKIS: Okay, so have people from your office been to survey that site themselves? What is the process that's happening at the moment to review that decision?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yes, absolutely. People from the department have been up there. But as I say, I have to be a little bit careful about talking about this because it is potentially the subject of legal proceedings. So I'm just being a little bit cautious.

 

TREVASKIS: Is there a timeline that you can refer to in terms of when a determination could be made either way?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: No. We need to do the scientific survey properly and thoroughly.

 

TREVASKIS: Do you know what would need to be proved for you, to revoke that approval -

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Liz I'm really sorry, you're kind of taking me into the realm of speculation.

 

TREVASKIS: Nope okay, that's all right. I got off track, I tried a few different ways -

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: I'm not trying to be difficult or evasive, but I've got some really clearly defined legal responsibilities as the Minister. And one of those is not to pre-judge anything that might occur here and to keep an open mind and to assess the information as it comes to me. And so I just have to be a little bit careful.

 

TREVASKIS: All right. I'm sure we'll catch up with you when there's more to add here. I do have another question to ask you, and you talked about money being promised and not spent when it comes to Kakadu. During the election campaign, Labor promised $9.8 million to tackle Gamba grass in the territory, $7.6 million specifically for our Gamba army here. We heard not that long ago that this money hasn't started to flow and that the people fighting the Gamba grass, they need to know when that money is coming. What can you tell us about that money promised to tackle Gamba grass?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, the good news is that I heard those calls to get the money flowing, and I recently approved new funding to identify priority areas to coordinate on the ground works to start that stuff now. Normally this sort of election commitment wouldn't be funded until the October budget, which we've got coming up in a few weeks time. But I've looked around for a little bit of extra money to start that work before the full amount is released in the October budget so that people can get some of this work done before the weather becomes impossible. It's also really important to say, and I've said this to the Northern Territory government, this is not to replace the work that the Gamba army is doing so well. This is to add to that work. Gamba grass is, I don't need to tell you it's a massive problem, it's a catastrophic environmental issue. We are determined to get grass out of the park and keep grass out of Kakadu National Park. But it's a really big job. So we're working in partnership with the Northern Territory government. We've released an early half million dollars for that work to start. I have to say, Luke Gosling, Malarndirri McCarthy and Marion Scrymgour have been absolutely on my case about this, so we decided to get some of that money out the door.

 

TREVASKIS: Okay. How much money have you found and what’s it going to?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yes, it's half a million dollars to start the early works here and then the remainder of that money will become available after the October budget.

 

TREVASKIS: Okay. Has that $500,000 been made available now to the Northern Territory government? Is that what's happened?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: We're working in partnership with the Northern Territory government. I couldn't tell you whether the money has been sort of landed in their bank account yet. We’ve released it.

 

TREVASKIS: We might give them a call and see. And a final question, because I know you need to go. We had the Green Senator David Shoebridge on the show earlier. The Greens want to nationally legalise cannabis. Is this something you think that the Labor Party could consider?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Look, it's not our policy at the moment. I think it's really important to think about the health effects of illicit drug use and to work through, in a kind of sensible, methodical way, the best way to help people with any health impacts of illicit drug use. But it's certainly not the Government's policy to legalise all drug use.

 

TREVASKIS: Will they come to the table for a discussion about the Greens proposal?

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: I have to ask the Health Minister. I'm pretty busy, I'm pretty busy dealing with the Gamba grass. So I think it's a good idea to get the Health Minister on to talk to you about this.

 

TREVASKIS: All right. Minister Plibersek, thank you so much for your time this afternoon.

 

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: It's a pleasure to talk to you. Thanks for having me.

 

TREVASKIS: Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek on ABC.

 

ENDS