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Other speechesThis page is dedicated to Peter's speeches made outside of parliament. They include Peter's speeches at local events in the Southport electorate such as School functions, building openings and non for profit groups functions. They usually include a list of acknowledgements of the people attending the function, a special acknowledgement to the traditional owners of the land as well as dot point notes used by Peter.  Please click on the links below to view Peter speeches for the relevant year:-
Estimates Committee F-Sustainability, Climate Change & Innovation |
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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jul 24 2008 |
| Other Speeches >> |
Question:
Mr LAWLOR: My question is about the northern hairy-nosed wombat, which is a thing you do not see a lot of these days. What is the Queensland government doing to reduce threats to the critically
endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat population?
Answer
Mr McNAMARA: Regretfully, the honourable member is incredibly accurate when he says they are a creature you do not see a lot of these days. At last count there were about 115 of them left in the
world. As I am sure the honourable member is aware, they are listed as critical. They are top priority under the EPA's Back on Track species prioritisation framework. They are more endangered than the
Sumatran tiger, the central African mountain gorilla or China's giant panda. Therefore, when the honourable member makes the observation that you do not see a lot of them, unfortunately and
regretfully that is absolutely true. The wombats have been increasing in numbers, but they are currently found in one small area
the size of Brisbane's CBD within the Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland.
They have reached the point now where it is feasible to move some of the colony to a second site to provide a safeguard for the species. Although moving these creatures is not without risk, the reality is to have the entire population in one tiny spot leaves them open to being decimated or, worse, becoming extinct by the simple act of fire or flood. Indeed, the floods earlier this year inundated half of their habitat at Epping. Of course, disease or a breach in their fence defences by other predators are also risks.
The recovery plan for the northern hairy-nosed wombat aims to achieve a total minimum population of 150 northern hairy-nosed wombats in two sites. I know that that does not sound like many
but when you are talking about a species that is really down on its knees, going from 115 to 150 would be a wonderful achievement. There are two major actions being undertaken to manage the critically
endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat. The first is to establish the new colony.
That will be achieved through, again, a groundbreaking initiative whereby the Environmental Protection Agency has entered into a three-year, $3 million sponsorship deal with Xstrata. A very large miner will help a very little digger to survive. We are very proud of the arrangement that has been entered into with Xstrata to provide
cash and resources to facilitate the reintroduction. Also I would like to mention Ed and Gabi Underwood, who have made available their property at South George for use as a second site. They are wonderful
people. Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 10:12 AM
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