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

I would say that the member for Macquarie has failed to do any basic research in preparation for her press stunt today in the House. The government is well and truly aware of the threat to this unique environment, the remnants of which contain about 150 endangered native plant species as well as those overlooked little things, to quote the Botanic Gardens, such as the plain mosses, lichens and fungi. Only about seven per cent of the remaining bushland in this region is protected, and its subregion has less than 13 per cent of the pre-1750 native vegetation.

Let me remind the member for Macquarie of the long-term work this government is doing to protect this unique environment. In the dying days of the 2004 election campaign, the coalition, with no community consultation and without regard to its enormous conservation value—and without comment from the then candidate for Greenway, now the member for Macquarie—wreaked havoc on plans to save the Cumberland Plain by secretly selling off the 181-hectare Cranebrook Air Services area near Penrith to a private developer. That is a little bit of history that you have left out of your spin activity each day.

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