Sessional Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development Written Submissions Received Volume 2 Issues associated with the progressive entry into the Northern Territory of Cane Toads October 2003
Tabled Paper 1123
Tabled Papers for 9th Assembly 2001 - 2005; Tabled papers for 9th Assembly 2001 - 2005; Tabled Papers; ParliamentNT
2003-10-16
Tabled by Delia Lawrie
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https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/307061
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/346011
Parks & Wildlife Commission NT Written Submissions Cane Toad Inquiry Report Volume 2 6 think the research on the impacts of cane toads has been extremely fractured in the past and still currently. People have had very different agendas, very different sort of goals and very different research scopes and there hasnt really been any serious recent attempt to I guess bring them together and make sure that the research is complementary and compatible and thats probably hasnt been helped in the past by in some cases, personal antipathies, which is unfortunate. Mr BALDWIN: Plus theyre answering to different authorities and they are bound by different funding regimes, so I think thats the point here is that if youre going to set up something that is going to be effective and workable, whether its looking at combining the research and / or looking at developing programs for minimising the effect, whatever they may be, biological or physical or whatever then how do you structure it well so that it does become effective rather than just another fractured part of the whole equation? Dr LAWSON: Well I think that Madam CHAIR: People have taken that question away for further consideration as well, which youre also free to do Dave, were on a fishing expedition, with I guess because weve been going since December weve been fortunate to gather a whole body of evidence to date and thats started to focus our minds on the next step which is the recommendations we make to parliament to drive it forward and give it a focus and a very real outcome orientated focus so that what resources are applied are applied with focus. Dr LAWSON: My first reaction is that, our earlier discussions about the role of this particular group here, I dont want to be misinterpreted in my answer to that. I dont think this group is necessarily the one that will actually implement anything Tim, but I really do think that certain issues in the environmental sphere need the clout of a body like this to actually go to government and say, youve got a problem here boys, lets pay attention to it and lets think of some real practical things we can do to put it in place because to be completely blunt, its ok for me to be the director of Wildlife Management but Im a lone voice sometimes and its very easy in the plethora of things you have to deal with in terms of looking after the people in the Territory, to actually get biodiversity right down the list. So, I think that the clout of a group like this is welcomed and I also think that my initial reaction to it, to have somebody, a recommendation made that someone, somewhere takes the lead on it is probably, Im not going to probably change that opinion but I also think that once youve done that, youve got to give that particular person or group of people room to maneuver and the resources to do it.