WESTERN Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert has taken the region’s dieback problem to the Australian Parliament.
Ms Siewert said she was extremely concerned that despite the disease being a “key threatening process” under the Federal legislation, little to no Federal money was available to fight the problem.
Ms Siewert said the Federal Government claimed that a May 2009 version of the national threat abatement plan had been developed.
“Yet, some of the key people protecting WA from phytophera dieback here know nothing about it,” she said.
“It is also of great concern that the Rudd Government’s Caring for Country program, which is the main source of funding for natural resource management (NRM) in regional areas, does not include targets for dieback.”
Project Dieback, which is run by WA NRM groups, had identified urgent next steps to control dieback, including signage, aerial spraying, mobile wash-down bays and localised eradication and containment actions.
“WA scientists and land managers say $10 million is needed annually to stop dieback spreading – yet it looks as if there may not be any Caring for Country money for this,” she said.
“You cannot help but wonder if this is because WA is a long way from Canberra.
“Phytophera dieback is a national problem and Federal funding is needed to address it in Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and especially southern WA.
“South West WA is Australia’s only internationally-recognised biodiversity hot spot. Dieback is a national concern and the Federal Government cannot shirk its responsibility.
“Dieback threatens assets worth millions of dollars in WA’s South-West, including timber, tourism and the potential for forest carbon sinks and pharmaceutical drugs derived from our rare flora.
“The State Government must also recognise this problem. This week I urged the Federal Government not to support the WA Premier’s reckless plan for a new tourist road through the heart of Fitzgerald River National Park.
“This park is recognised by Project Dieback to be an “ark” for WA’s unique flora and fauna. Dieback scientists say that putting a new road through the park would undoubtedly spread dieback.”