Feral Pigs

The Hon. SCOTT BARRETT (11:40): My question is directed to the Minister for Agriculture. Studies have shown that for feral pig control programs to be effective merely at stopping growth, 70 per cent of the feral pig population must be removed each year. Given the proven total absence of any data or even estimates on the total number of feral pigs in New South Wales, the Minister cannot know what percentage of feral pigs have been removed. If she is not using the standard international approach of counting pig numbers and calculating percentage removals, how is she measuring the effectiveness of the program?

The Hon. Daniel Mookhey: We are culling more pigs than you are leaders.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Government members will cease interjecting.

The Hon. TARA MORIARTY (Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional New South Wales, and Minister for Western New South Wales) (11:41): I acknowledge the Treasurer's interjection. I thank the member for the question and his ongoing interest in feral pigs across New South Wales. I also acknowledge the interest of the Hon. Chris Rath in feral pigs, which I welcomed this week. I am delighted to continue to inform the House about the Government's comprehensive program to deal with the significant feral pig problem in New South Wales. As I have indicated many times, including earlier this week, $40 million has been invested in dealing with feral pigs and other pest animals across New South Wales. We are providing financial support and resources, and working in coordination with landholders, who have a responsibility under the Biosecurity Act for dealing with those issues on their properties.

My focus is on culling feral pigs across New South Wales. I do not want people wasting time counting them. That would be a ridiculous use of the taxpayer resources that are being used to cull feral pigs and deal with the significant problem across New South Wales. They are the most significant pest threat the State faces. As I have indicated many times before, the breeding conditions over the last couple of years meant that the numbers have grown. Again, we are working with landholders to deal with the problem. Feral pigs start breeding at three months, at a very rapid pace. Putting significant resources into dealing with the issue across regional New South Wales is the focus of the Government. Spending time counting pest animals across the State would be a waste of resources. [Time expired.]

The Hon. Sarah Mitchell: It's a waste to count, but you have to get rid of 70 per cent.

The Hon. SCOTT BARRETT (11:43): Yes, it is a waste to count, but the Government is quite happy to put out a press release saying that 223,000 pigs have been killed since July 2023. The Government wants to brag about it. Since I have brought up the issue, information has come to me that a lowball estimate is about five million pigs in New South Wales. If members want to put questions to the Treasurer, get him to quickly work out 200,000 out of five million. How close is that to 70 per cent? It is not putting a dint in the number of pigs in this State. The Government is more focused on a press release than outcomes, and that happens over and over again. It is abundantly clear that the Minister has no idea how many pigs there are in the State and seemingly no interest in trying to find out. Rather than press releases, we need real outcomes. We need to see the numbers of pigs in this State come down and stop them doing damage to our environment and economy.

The Hon. TARA MORIARTY (Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional New South Wales, and Minister for Western New South Wales) (11:44): I just cannot get enough of talking about feral pigs in my role as the Minister for Agriculture, in this Chamber and in any other forum the Opposition would like to discuss it. Yes, we put out a press release about culling 223,000 feral pigs across New South Wales. That is good news, but there is more to do. It is not a victory lap; it is informing the public. It is informing the landholders across regional communities, who we are supporting and working with, about the outcomes being achieved from the large investment of money into tackling this significant issue. Informing the public and keeping people up to date about the results of the programs we are rolling out across the State is an important role of the Government. I do not have a problem with informing people about that. The resources we are allocated are about culling pigs, not counting them. [Time expired.]

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansard/Pages/HansardResult.aspx#/docid/HANSARD-1820781676-102241/link/2262

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

The Hon. SCOTT BARRETT (11:52): My question is directed to the Minister for Agriculture. This year's People Matter Employee Survey for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development shows yet another sharp decline in results across almost every category, including a decline of 9 per cent so that now 60 per cent of employees do not believe the organisation is making improvements to meet future challenges. How can the State's farmers have confidence in the Minister's department when her own employees do not even have confidence in it?

The Hon. Sarah Mitchell: No-one is happy under you.

The Hon. TARA MORIARTY (Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional New South Wales, and Minister for Western New South Wales) (11:53): That is just not true. I thank the member for the question. I am aware of the results that have come through. I acknowledge that much of this survey work was done as the department was undertaking a significant change program, which has been ongoing for the bulk of this year. I have been very transparent with the Parliament, with people across regional New South Wales and with the State's primary industries sector about the fact that we are making sure that the new department created under this Government is fit for purpose to provide the services that need to be delivered to boost, support and protect the sector and regional communities into the future.

I acknowledge that change is difficult. We are going through the processes of setting up a brand‑new department. We are consolidating resources by making sure every dollar that flows from the department to services in regional communities and primary industries is being spent in a way that is without waste and duplication. We are doing that whilst maintaining representation via over 200 offices in different parts of regional communities across New South Wales, whilst boosting our research program with $100 million in the past couple of years and whilst boosting our biosecurity work. Those processes will pay dividends for the people who are relying on the services provided by this new department.

Again I acknowledge that change is difficult for people who have been in the department. They have been working with the Government on the change for this new department, to make sure that it is fit for purpose to deliver the services that it provides to the people of regional New South Wales. I have said before and I will say again that I am confident that the structure of the department we have set up will deliver the necessary services to regional communities and primary industries.

The Hon. SCOTT BARRETT (11:55): To show how bad this was, I point out that the survey results—which the Leader of the Government said we should read more of—listed the "most improved questions". There are none. The results states, "No questions are displayed due to all comparable questions decreasing in score." On every aspect the mark has gone down. Rather than dwell on that and spend more time on how bad these results are, I give a shout‑out to the staff at the department of primary industries, who are helping our farmers, not the press releases and social media posts from the Government. Staff are doing the hard work that they have been famous for doing for over 100 years. They are doing it in increasingly trying circumstances, which is reflected in those results. I thank the staff at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development for all their hard work on making regional New South Wales the best place to live, work, raise a family and grow the best food and fibre in this country.

The Hon. TARA MORIARTY (Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional New South Wales, and Minister for Western New South Wales) (11:56): I thank the Hon. Scott Barrett for continuing the discussion on the fantastic work that occurs in my department. I note that the member worked in the department. He was a member of this House and then he was not. He appeared in the department, interestingly, after working in this place. I acknowledge the hard work of the incredible public servants who service the new department, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, which has been set up by—

The Hon. Scott Barrett: Point of order: I correct the record. What the Minister just said is totally incorrect. I did not work for the department of primary industries in between my positions in this House.

The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order. However, the member is at liberty to give a personal explanation if he wishes to at the end of question time...

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansard/Pages/HansardResult.aspx#/docid/HANSARD-1820781676-102392/link/2262

"When we say check in on people, it doesn't mean, "How are you doing mate?" It means sitting with them, forgetting your own chores and troubles for a few minutes and really tuning in. Are they slightly tense? Are they not sleeping? Are they worried about a problem not getting solved? Do they feel like they have failed or are failing? Do they feel like a burden in some way? Suicide is not caused by a single catastrophic event, it is a series of events which build up and make life unmanageable. Look for those things. Look for the little things that are building up to become an unbearable load. Ask about them. This is no time for being delicate. Cut to the chase. Be fearless. If you want to save a life, you need to be present—to see the problem, and then be fearless and direct in addressing it. Be vulnerable yourself, and tell them how you feel about them. Most of all … believe your gut. If you think there is something wrong—there probably is. Don't be fobbed off with "I'm fine". Make a conversation happen. Lives are at stake." Andrew Logan

Feral Animal Aerial Shooting

The Hon. SCOTT BARRETT (14:18): My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment. Noting that the Minister's response to my supplementary question for written answer indicated five domestic horses at Thurloo Downs were the only horses removed—meaning shot—that day, does the Minister still maintain that the horses had joined a mob of wild horses and were with them when they were culled?

The Hon. PENNY SHARPE (Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Environment, and Minister for Heritage) (14:19): No, of course I do not. I have been very—

The Hon. Wes Fang: So you misled us?

The Hon. PENNY SHARPE: Do you want the answer or not?

The Hon. Wes Fang: You did. You misled us.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. PENNY SHARPE: I want to be clear here: I have been very up-front about the issue. I have also made it clear to the House that what I knew at the time was preliminary information, which I have subsequently and accurately reported to this House. Any suggestion that I have misled the House is absolutely incorrect. If the Hon. Wes Fang actually read something occasionally, he might realise that I take the information that I provide to the House. The other thing I could do is take it on notice then not try to provide an answer. Ministers cannot win either way with those opposite. We try to answer the question. We try to be very up-front about the information that we have at the time and indicate that it may or may not be correct. We do that all the time. If those opposite do not like that, that is fine. I am happy to take questions on notice, let those opposite wait, and not try to answer the question. Unfortunately, I cannot help myself. I like to try to answer the question, because I think Ministers need to front up when things have gone wrong. In this case, things have gone terribly wrong.

What I can say is that invasive species control measures were being undertaken at Thurloo Downs Station, a large property of around 470,000 hectares that is going to become a national park. An incident occurred during that time where the workers who had been there for a couple of days shot five domestic horses that were owned by the next‑door neighbours. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has been in constant contact with the owners. I can inform the House that it is talking about compensating the family for what occurred. There is nothing good about it—it is a terrible outcome—but it is wrong to suggest that the Government has tried to hide it. It is wrong to suggest that the National Parks and Wildlife Service and I as the Minister are not unhappy—furious, in fact—about what has happened. We need to work through that. I stand here and own up to it. I expect the National Parks and Wildlife Service to do the work. My advice is that it has been in constant contact with the family and is looking at how it can compensate them. There is a proper review underway. It is an unfortunate incident. It is being addressed as best it can be, given the terrible outcome.