PARLIAMENT OF TASMANIA LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REPORT OF DEBATES Tuesday 17 November 2020 REVISED EDITION Tuesday 17 November 2020 The President, Mr Farrell, took the Chair at 11.00 a.m., acknowledged the Traditional People and read Prayers. PETITION Garden Island Creek and Garden Island Sands - Erosion [11.02 a.m.] Dr Seidel presented an e-petition signed by approximately 144 citizens of Tasmania, calling for the preservation of Garden Island Creek and Garden Island Sands from erosion and the provision of safe beach access. Petition received. LEAVE OF ABSENCE Member for Pembroke [11.05 a.m.] Mrs HISCUTT (Montgomery - Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council) (by leave) - Mr President, I move - That the member for Pembroke, Ms Siejka, be granted absence of leave from the service of the Council for this day's sitting. Motion agreed to. STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT Aboriginal Flag Mr PRESIDENT - Honourable members, I thank members who responded to the email I sent in regard to the letter from Madam Speaker, the Honourable Sue Hickey MP and the Resolution of the House of Assembly dated 11 November 2020 to fly the Aboriginal flag at Parliament House whenever the Tasmanian State Flag is raised. The responses I received were positive and I have communicated to the Speaker that the Legislative Council concurs with the views of Madam Speaker that the flag should be flown over Parliament House whenever the state flag is raised Members - Hear, hear. Tuesday 17 November 2020 1 SPECIAL INTEREST MATTERS Garden Island Creek Community [11.09] Dr SEIDEL (Huon) - Mr President, it is a privilege to have presented my first e-petition from the electorate of Huon to the House earlier this morning and it is a privilege to speak on behalf of my fabulous constituents of the Garden Island Creek community. In my inaugural speech I proudly pointed out that I was very lucky to live in Tasmania's most spectacular electorate. The Huon Valley is an area of outstanding beauty and it is Tasmania's natural treasure chest. I will repeat that over and over again for the next six years. Garden Island Creek is a little gem nestled between Randalls Bay and Charlotte Cove in the south east of the valley. Home to over two dozen and often young families its secluded beach and shallow yet clear waters have attracted many shack owners over the years. It is a vibrant little community and just a lovely spot to enjoy our Tasmanian way of life. However, the coastal environment is brittle. Climate change and rising sea levels have caused accelerated and significant foreshore erosion, and that is exactly what the local petitioners are urging the Government to act on. In their petition, residents specifically raise that the foreshore is eroding at a very rapid rate. The banks have destabilised, causing large trees to fall into the water and creating hazardous debris. A boat ramp which was damaged by sea level rise and storm activity was recently removed, leaving beach access in an unsafe condition. It is almost impossible now for elderly residents or people with disabilities to access the beach safely. Furthermore, petitioners are pointing out domestic septic systems are becoming closer to the receding shoreline and may soon pose a threat to human life and the environment if erosion control measures are not enacted. The petitioners are calling on the Government to make funds available to begin a strategic approach to prevent beach erosion. The petitioners are also calling on the Government to restore safe access to the beach and the boat ramp, and to address safety concerns. They urge the Government to implement beach mitigation measures and to restore a community space that has been enjoyed for generations. Of course, this should not have been unexpected news for the Government. The Department of Premier and Cabinet Tasmanian Climate Change office conducted a study of the affected area in Garden Island Creek as early as in 2015. The study included a number of private and commercial assets, public assets, natural ecosystem services and natural values. The study outlined in this century alone almost 45 private properties would be at risk of erosion and inundation. The evolutionary inundation probability for all properties were calculated as over 45 per cent. At workshops held over five years ago the community expressed significant concerns about the present-day risks. Community reported seeing changes to the beach in the last 20 years with some noticing erosions in the dune system that progressed between four to five metres. At least half of the Tuesday 17 November 2020 2 erosion issues were said to have occurred over the last five years. At the time three pathways were explored with local residents - . (1) Protect existing development as long as practical while protecting natural values. This pathway protects property but only where protection has minimal impact on the values of the area important to the community. (2) Protect existing development and permit new developments to the maximum possible extent for as long as possible. This pathway concentrates on protecting the existing and future community and property using all available options including intensification of development work. (3) Let climate change take its course and retreat early. Basically, a do-nothing approach. Members, it should be of no surprise the community very much preferred option (1), protecting existing development while protecting natural resources. It is a logical option that is also the most cost-effective. It is the appropriate mitigation strategy the project consultants recommended to the Government over five years ago, yet nothing has happened. No preventative mitigation has been initiated and predictably coast erosion has advanced and caused substantially more damage to the community. It makes me wonder why a study was initiated in the first place. It seems nobody wants to act on the study report's alarming conclusion, which is disappointing and needs to change as a matter of urgency. Members, just because Garden Island Creek is a small rural community in the Huon does not mean we can forget about its needs. Rural communities matter; rural people matter. They pay the same rates, levies and substantial land taxes as others. They do not ask for much for return. They just want to maintain their way of life. The Garden Island Creek community just wants safe access to their beach, and they want the obvious cause of erosion issues, which have been known for years, to finally be addressed. Mr President, I thank the Garden Island Creek committee for their care and their stewardship. In particular, I would like to thank the principal petitioner, Kimberly Mendonca as well as Sarah Ollington and John Synnott, for arranging the insightful community meetings. Now, it is up to the Government to take action. Doing nothing is not an option. Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania [11.15 a.m.] Ms WEBB (Nelson) - Mr President, today I rise to celebrate the hard work and success of the Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania, better known to many as PMAT. PMAT is a growing network of community groups from across the state advocating for a strategic, sustainable and integrated planning system serving to protect the values that make Tasmania a special place to live and visit. Tuesday 17 November 2020 3 PMAT was established in 2017 in response to the Tasmanian Government's planning system reforms, with a view to advance better knowledge of, and participation in, those reforms. PMAT is a non-government organisation run purely on donations and voluntary support. It has one part-time paid coordinator. Mr President, I am pleased to advise today that PMAT recently received national recognition for its contribution to planning at the 2020 National Awards for Planning Excellence. PMAT won the 2020 Planning Champion award for being the best non-planner organisation from across Australia. This award acknowledges PMAT's success in promoting good planning, the planning profession and the value of planning to the general community. The Planning Institute of Australia judges, who made this award, highlighted PMAT's strong model for uniting community groups to think about, to question and to engage with planning frameworks. Also noted by the judges was PMAT's role in educating the community about the new Tasmanian planning scheme. Importantly, this award recognises PMAT as a national champion and a key voice and participant in planning discussions in our state. The Planning Champion award is well deserved, and testament to at least three years of work done by the PMAT state president, Anne Harrison; the state coordinator, Sophie Underwood; and myriad PMAT members and volunteers who have worked hard since the group was launched in 2017. Mr President, today PMAT has close to 70 community groups as members. These groups include ratepayer associations, local progress associations, social and environmental organisations, local 'friends of' groups, and some single-issue advocacy groups in particular areas of the state. The core of PMAT's advocacy for good planning is the PMAT platform document, which has key principles that must underpin a robust planning system. PMAT's platform was developed with input from over 20 community groups and is a key guiding document. The platform states that to achieve the best future for Tasmania and all Tasmanians, the planning system must enshrine core planning principles. These principles relate to community and environment, to strategic vision, transparency and independence, to community involvement, integrated assessment and implementation that is shared between state and local government. To quote from PMAT - In essence, an effective land use planning system is one which provides for economic development that respects our local amenity and character, safeguards our natural and cultural heritage, sense of place and brand, and allows the Tasmanian community to participate transparently in planning and development decisions that affect their future.