Mr DEAN (Windermere) - I thank the member for Rosevears for moving this motion and discussing it because I think it is necessary. I think we need something in place now to take control of this and to move forward. I will start by making a quick reference to a comment made by Wollongong University associate professor, Professor Brian Jones, on 1 February 2006 to an ABC program when he said that this problem is much bigger than one local council. He was making it clear there that it involved a number of local councils, it involved a much greater area than just Launceston. Professor Jones said a lot of other things and perhaps the member for Launceston might go into other things he referred to in looking at this problem.

We are all aware that there is a current deed of agreement that has been entered into between the Launceston City Council and the State Government in relation to the levee situation and the flooding situation. One section of that agreement requires the establishment of a single authority to be set up under section 30 of the Local Government Act 1993. If this motion gets up today - and I would hope it does because we need this further investigation and inquiries to occur - we will need to give some thought to that agreement and what recommendations we would need to make in accordance with that agreement because if it did occur, it would require amendments to that agreement. The agreement refers in the main to the levees, and their construction and maintenance. However, there are two other parts to it which require , under the category of 'other functions of the authority', that the authority will also be responsible for all flood-risk mitigation structures in the Launceston flood protection scheme. So it does go wider than that. It also says that it will take over the existing functions of UTRIA which, as we know, has a responsibility for cleaning out the siltation in the river basin and maintaining a reasonable channel through that area. This new authority, set up under the Local Government Act, will take control of all of that.

My concern, that I have voiced before in another place, is what authority that group will have outside of the local government Launceston council area.

Mr Wing - None.

Mr DEAN - I think that is the point that the honourable members for Launceston and Rosevears will make very clearly. What authority will it have outside the local government area? It really cannot have any other than, I would suggest, the ability to make recommendations. If it determined that there were problems associated with an area in, say, Dorset, or an area in the Meander Valley area and/or Northern Midlands or somewhere else. I suppose it could make recommendations and in consultation with those other local government areas then come back to some State support.

I am not sure how it would operate but to me it does not seem to be the right way to go. To have one legislated body, with the ability to look at all of these issues, to take control of all of these issues of a wider area, would be a much better way to go. There was a lot of discussion in the State Government on this and I must say that with another hat on I was involved in some of those discussions with the State Government. That is what this select committee of inquiry would be all about, it would be gathering information, gathering evidence to see whether or not that is necessary. I would be very surprised if it did not come back supporting the authority that we refer to in this motion.

With a local government authority there is the added issue of whether or not you are going to get the right people on that body. This body, in my view, requires the best people possible that have the knowledge, the professional background and understanding of what these problems are all about, how we can counteract them and what we need to do to progressing it.

I do not know whether or not a local government authority would have the finances to support and provide funding to attract the right people into that committee. I do have some concerns about that as well. There is a lot research currently being done and the member for Rosevears has referred to that. Not only do we have the TEER program that is involved in this but we have a number of other groups currently looking at the siltation problems. We know that there has been funding provided by the State Government for another study to be done in conjunction with Launceston City Council. I think GDH is the group-

Mr Hall - GHD.

Mrs Rattray-Wagner - GH & D.

Mr DEAN - GH & D is the group that has been selected for the carrying out of that further review, investigation and inquiry. If you look back over time, in the history of this river there have been many studies done. I think that is another thing that this select committee will do; it will be able to bring a lot of that together and pick the eyes out of it and use it. I am not so sure that that has previously been done. All these studies have happened -

Mr Finch - Yes, through you, Madam President - Amanda Locatelli, who was with TEER from NRM, was given the task of doing that, of pulling all the information together under one umbrella rather than it sitting on various shelves all over the community and all over various establishments. That is where it now, I believe, sits with TEER. They have all that information gathered together.

Mr DEAN - Thank you for that contribution. So that will come into TEER, and TEER will be a big part of this as well. We will want TEER to make a submission to us, and provide us with whatever information they can as well.

Siltation is a huge problem, and not only for the Launceston area; it goes wider than Launceston. It goes up the Tamar River for some distance. Evidence is now being provided to us that the situation is now far worse than it has ever been.

In making that statement, there is also evidence from engineers who say that that really is not right. Some engineers will say that if you look at the Tamar River in the early 1900s they will provide photographs to you which will show very clearly that the Tamar River was very badly silted back then. It is interesting -

Mr Parkinson - When was that?

Mr DEAN - Back in the early 1900s and even in the late 1800s there is evidence to show that. If you look at a lot of the photographs that were around about that time, in one of the very early photographs it very clearly depicts the siltation levels and it is very obvious, very evident. But most of the photographs taken of the Tamar River are taken at high tide so you look at them and say, 'Look at this beautiful back then', but then you have to realise that it was taken at high tide. Even if you take a photograph now at high tide it looks pretty good, so you have to get it into the proper context.

There was a comment recently in the paper, Madam President, and I am not quite sure of the gentleman's name but the member for Rosevears might remember this statement that was made in the paper, where he said that it was not all that long ago when we had a sandy beach down near Selfs Point or somewhere on the Tamar River and that people were there bathing off this sandy beach. But there was a later statement made to the paper from another gentleman who knew the area very well and said that the sand had been carted in to make it look like a beach for a specific occasion. So it was not all what it was said to be in the first instance, a nice sandy beach which siltation gradually and finally took over. The evidence indicates that was not the case.

Mr Finch - Through you, Madam President - it was interesting that the very early maps of Launceston - 1805, 1806 - shows drawings down near the upper reaches of the Tamar . Now you know where the boat-building shed is near the Tamar Yacht Club there. On the map it clearly shows mud. Mud was a component of what was going on at the upper reaches of the river back right before settlement.

Mr DEAN - Yes, you are right; thank you for that comment as well. But if you look at Launceston back in those times, Invermay did not exist. A big part of Invermay was in fact just Tea-tree swamp and all of that has now been recovered over time. People have interfered with it and we have changed the face of this river and very clearly, where you get human involvement in some issues, it creates some other problems as well.

Mrs Rattray-Wagner - It's still called 'Swampyland'.

Mr DEAN - It is to some people, isn't it? You are right.

Mr Finch - We've created a lot of problems - we've had to play for the North Launceston Football Club.

Mr Martin - You're still approving developments there, aren't you?

Ms Forrest - Yes, that is the other point.

Mr DEAN - I was hoping the member for Elwick would not raise that because the other day I got very animated, and for the information of the member for Elwick, I strongly opposed it for reasons of risk and danger should there be a flood or a breakdown of the levees et cetera. Unfortunately I was not able to convince too many others. In fact, it is interesting you should raise that because the deed of agreement that I previously referred to, of which you are all aware, was four days away from the money being actually provided to local government. The agreement was signed off several months ago, and four days prior to the money being handed over some people saw fit to rearrange that deed of agreement without consultation with the State Government, and I think you know the rest.

Mr Martin - Did you get the money?

Mr DEAN - It has not actually been handed over yet but we have now sorted it out. I remember once again becoming animated telling a number of people that you just cannot do that.

Mrs Rattray-Wagner - You persuaded them to reverse the decision though, didn't you?

Mr DEAN - I stood alone on that matter as well. However at the following meeting, Madam President, that motion was rescinded and it came back to the position that I said that we had to go with. Some interesting things happen.

Ms Forrest - Did you say, 'I told you so'?

Mr DEAN - I certainly did.

Mr Parkinson - Unfortunately, by then it was too late.

Mr DEAN - I think the honourable Treasurer is well and truly aware of my stance on that.

I think this is a move in the right direction. It will be interesting to see what comes of this select committee and I am confident it will be supported because I think all members in this House know very well the position of the Tamar River and would know that it is believed at this stage - and there is some evidence - that a lot of the problems in the Tamar River are emanating from far afield in the top areas of the North Esk and South Esk rivers coming from other areas. There has been a number of things put forward as to what is causing it. Some say that farming has created some of the siltation, with animal stock close to rivers and through rivers, forestry timber operations -

Mr Hall - They can close down the catchment level.

Mr Parkinson - The honourable member for Launceston thinks its because there's not enough water flowing down the gorge.

Mr DEAN - There have been a lot of reasons put forward and there is not a lot of concrete evidence available at this stage, to my understanding, to identify exactly what the situation is, because a lot of people are saying that the siltation simply moves and returns and it has been there for ever and a day and not getting any worse. That is what a lot of people are saying. You cannot get in there and move all of the silt at the one time as there would be huge collapses because the siltation has built up so far and under buildings -

Mrs Rattray-Wagner - Since 1806.

Mr DEAN - Yes, you are right, the early 1800s. I said early 1900s but early 1800s as well.

Mrs Rattray-Wagner - That was before farming in Dorset or anywhere else.

Mr DEAN - Yes.

Madam President, I do not need to take this too much further but just to add again that any authority set up to take responsibility for the catchments, levees and siltation must be a body with a lot of strength and clout, in my view, because of what they will be required to do. They will also need the appropriate funding to go with this. There is funding provided to the local authority that we have set up under the Local Government Act and that is indexed annually but, once again, I would have some concerns as to whether or not that funding would be sufficient for this body to operate in the way that it will probably need to.

I probably should take this opportunity also just to mention that UTRIA, which will be disbanded under that local government authority that will be set up, has done a good job. There are some people who are well and truly aware of where it has been and what it has done. It has had to work under some difficult circumstances at times in relation to funding issues but in my view, UTRIA has done a very good job in managing the Tamar River's siltation difficulties and problems. Alderman Beams would be known to some of you here and I must also commend him for what he has done and his passion for the Tamar River.

I do not need to take this any further, Madam President, other than to say that I was delighted when the member for Rosevears approached me and asked if I would consider being a part of this committee because of my background and knowledge of it and the fact -

Ms Forrest - That you are part of the cause.

Mr DEAN - No, I am not a part of the cause.

Mr Wilkinson - You felt he invited you to his party.

Mr DEAN - I am passionate about the Tamar River as well, as would be anybody living in that area because not only is it important to Launceston, it is important to the State. It is the longest navigable estuary in the State -

Mr Parkinson - Rubbish.

Mr DEAN - It is.

Mr Wilkinson - It soon won't be if the silt keeps building up.

Mr Parkinson - It's not as navigable as the Derwent.

Mr DEAN - It is so. It is of incredible significance and it is an area that is now being utilised a lot as well for scenic boat trips, sporting activity, rowing in particular. It is a wonderful support of the rowing fraternity.

Mrs Rattray-Wagner - To house old ships and boats.

Mr DEAN - It houses old ships and boats, but thank goodness this Chamber at the end of the day is able to support some legislation that has already had some success.

Mrs Rattray-Wagner - Very limited success.

Mr DEAN - It has had some success already and they may have some further success in the future. I support the motion.