Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, am very pleased to rise to speak on this motion which notes the great importance of National Landcare Week, from 3 to 9 September, as well as the extraordinary contribution by volunteers to practical environmental projects throughout Australia. It is also an opportunity to highlight the great contribution that our farmers and others in our rural and regional areas make to enhance the environment, and to congratulate them on that great work that they do. I also note the government's commitment to deliver funding to ensure the success of so many projects that we see right throughout our rural communities. We certainly have a very proud record of delivering to assist people in those situations.

It is also a good opportunity to acknowledge the more than 6,000 community groups that are volunteering their time to protect and improve the condition of our coast, bushland, rivers and land right throughout Australia. It is great to see all those groups working so closely with our farmers and with the government to keep protecting our wonderful environment. I am very privileged to have many of those fantastic groups in my electorate on the North Coast of New South Wales, and I am always pleased to see the outstanding work that they do.

We know that Landcare is one of the most enduring and recognisable community movements throughout Australia. Indeed the Landcare ethic has also spread to other parts of the world, which is great, with similar groups now operating in over 20 countries. It was wonderful to see their conferences held last week, which was a good opportunity to discuss policy and research developments and to have a robust discussion on things that really matter to the Landcare movement: caring for the environment, sustainable production, future generations, maintaining communities—all these very important issues. Of course, they also had the Landcare awards as well and I am very pleased to have heard the great news that at that ceremony some of the councils in my local area were successful. There was a joint project between the Tweed and Byron Shire councils and they were announced winners in the Local Government and Landcare Partnership category. The partnership between the neighbouring councils and community Landcare groups has resulted in extensive bush regeneration. The program is to restore urban bushland at over 50 sites, covering more than 225 hectares of bushland right throughout the shires. So I congratulate them and the remarkable work that they do.

The Australian government recognises the vital role played by the Landcare community in delivering some of these outcomes on the ground. That is why we continue to keep supporting it through investments like Caring for our Country, and we will continue to invest in the second phase of Caring for our Country, with more than $2.2 billion over five years, to achieve a real and measurable difference to Australia's environment.

Of course, there are a number of opportunities for Landcare groups to access funding through Australian government programs. Under Caring for our Country, as I mentioned, there are Community Action Grants available, and I have certainly seen many of those in my electorate being very successful. They are specifically for Landcare and other local community groups. Grants are also available through the Biodiversity Fund and Action on the Ground, both components of the Land Sector package under the government's Securing a Clean Energy Future plan. The Biodiversity Fund will invest over $946 million over the next six years to help land managers store carbon, enhance biodiversity and build greater environmental resilience across the Australian landscape. We also see great projects through Action on the Ground, as well.

As I said, in my electorate I see many different examples all the time of Landcare groups and Dunecare groups. We have seen over 20 community action grants as well, some of them large and some of them small, making a huge difference. There is one at Burringbar and Mooball Catchment Landcare Incorporated. They have conducted a riparian restoration project, which is fantastic. We see Dunecare groups doing remarkable work all the time. Recently the Cabarita Beach Dunecare project received funding to restore a significant coastal habitat at Cabarita on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales. It is a very important habitat for threatened species.

We have some great large organisations, the Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group and the Caldera Environment Centre. They have also received funding to continue their great work. It was very sad to hear recently that the coordinator of the Caldera Environment Centre recently passed away, a man by the name of Paul 'Hoppy' Hopkins. He was known as Hoppy and was the coordinator. He was very much involved in the Caldera Environment Centre and a great environmental warrior for many years on the North Coast of Australia. We are all very sad to hear of his passing last week. He made a great commitment to the environment.

Under Caring for our Country, we have seen some major funding right across the Northern Rivers, which has made a real difference to many programs. What we see from National Landcare projects is a demonstration of the community's commitment to the future of our country by caring for it right across the board, whether it is in the rural areas, the coast or right across the community. I would like to thank all the volunteers who give so much of their time to improve our future and the future of our country. We are very proud on the North Coast of New South Wales to have such a strong commitment to our pristine environment. It is, of course, the most beautiful environment in all of Australia and we work very closely together to maintain it and ensure that it continues.

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