Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I understand that the member for Macquarie has recently become the representative for the Blue Mountains, and I can understand why that would require her to start to understand the environmental needs of the area. I would just like to say that when you find out about an environmental matter it is actually worth trying to find out what has been happening as well. Finding new things to do is very important, and we all do that, but there has actually been action going on in this area. To ignore it is a little bit dishonest, to say the least. For a start, the member for Macquarie says in her press release that the coalition's commitment to the Cumberland Plain Woodlands gives 'a great opportunity to create an environmental legacy for future generations to enjoy'. It seems too obvious to point out the irony of the statement, coming from a party who are not quite sure if they believe in climate change and from a member of parliament who attended the 23 March carbon tax demonstration in Canberra. This is a party whose plan to secure an environmental legacy for all future generations, not just Western Sydney, is nothing short of laughable.

See this speech in context