Senator O'BRIEN (6:32 PM) —I was asked to keep this item on the Notice Paper for another senator. I was very interested in Senator Bartlett's comments about the CITES, given I was involved in some work with the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee. That work involved the commercialisation of native wildlife and the interaction that the committee had with regard to proposals to trade in certain species of Australian birds, in particular, but in some respects reptiles as well. Restrictions were imposed on that trade not only by the CITES but also by the states, although there were differences in regulations between the states. So it was not just a question of international trade that the CITES covers but also a question of interstate trade and the requirements of state laws with regard to that trading.

We discovered in that inquiry that there appeared to be a connection between commercialisation of certain species and the maintenance of habitat. In fact, in many cases the endangered species problem was connected with the conversion of habitat from the native state to the farmland state—draining of swamps, deforestation and the like. On private land, there was no gain to be made and no living to be made without that sort of interaction. The preservation of the habitat of some of the endangered species would only occur—indeed, there are examples from the United States and the African continent of positive experiences in the preservation of endangered species—because of a commercialisation of the species through various means, be it hunting, game park facilities or the like. As I said, at the commencement, I was asked to keep this matter on the Notice Paper for another senator who is unable to be here, so I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.