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; 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 14 Dr LAWSON: You know, I mean a cane toad expert, I would put that down as Alex Hyatt whos in charge of the search for the biocontrol in Animal Health Division of CSIRO. I contacted him before I came here and hed be very helpful and I tried to get a copy of their report that they just supplied to Environment Australia but I had a very strange reply which I think it is important that you hear. I tried to pre-empt Environment Australia and sort of nudge their elbow and say you know Im still waiting for the report and I spoke to a fellow over there and he said well, theres a problem there David, he said, because this is commercial in-confidence. Now my reaction to that was, cane toad research, paid for by the federal government, commercial in-confidence? Why? Are you actually going to sell it back to us if you find the cure for cane toads? Mr BALDWIN: Because CSIRO is semi-commercial. Dr LAWSON: Well I know that but commercial in-confidence, that didnt seem to stick right. Mr WOOD: What comes first, the state of the nation or commercial in confidence? Madam CHAIR: Weve been able to access some commercial in-confidence reports already, Im not referring to that particular one but we seem to have little luck so well go digging there, thank you for that. Dr LAWSON: Please do that yeah, because Id like to see that. Mr BALDWIN: I wouldnt hesitate to say its not the first reaction youve had like . from Parks and Wildlife talking to Environment Australia or even CSIRO, its an ongoing debate. Dr LAWSON: Thats true. Mr BALDWIN: It also points to the factors that arent evident in this whole thing. Mr BONSON: Just one side of things, you know when this wave comes and hits Darwin you know are greater Darwin, 90 000 people, weve got 200 000 people here, obviously its going to affect half the population in a very short period of time, and developing up packages to deal with it, you know there was a suggestion that maybe you know, your block of land, you might be able to somehow fence that off or quarantine that off from the possibility of having cane toads in there etc and I know my partners a bit of a frog enthusiast and you know, shes worried about you know how we can keep the green frogs inside away from exposed etc from whats going on outside. Is there a possibility of developing up little packages where people can, who have an interest in the urban areas of Darwin rural areas, that can do something?