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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 115 asked in the Legislative Council on 21 February 2019 by Hon Diane Evers

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

SANDALWOOD HARVEST

115. Hon DIANE EVERS to the Minister for Environment:

I refer to the harvesting of wild sandalwood in Western Australia.

(1) How has the annual harvest quota allocation of 10 per cent by private owners and 90 per cent by the Forest Products Commission been determined, and how often is it reviewed?

(2) The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions' flora licensing information sheet provides that native title determined areas, including crown land, are considered private property and included in the annual 10 per cent quota. Has the government considered increasing the percentage of wild sandalwood allocation for Indigenous owners by allowing them to participate in the 90 per cent crown land allocation, acknowledging their resource rights, to provide income and employment opportunities for remote communities?

(3) If no to (2), why not?

(4) If yes to (2), why has the native title allocation amount not increased?

(5) Is the government aware that the DBCA consideration of applying native title under the private land 10 per cent allocation is restricting Indigenous owners' rights to this resource, thereby implying that Indigenous owners have less right to the resource than the FPC?

Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.

(1) The annual harvest quota was set through the Sandalwood (Limitation of Removal of Sandalwood) Order 1996, which applies to 30 June 2026. This was last reviewed in 2015. The allocation and the quota were informed through the sandalwood working group recommendations in 2015.

(2)–(5) The government is currently exploring options to facilitate the participation of Aboriginal native title holders in the sandalwood industry. Information has been sent to current licence holders, potential licence applicants and some Aboriginal groups, to enable the issuing of licences for sandalwood harvest in 2019–20.