Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased today to speak on the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 2014. A little later in my speech, I will talk about some of the proposals in the Parkes electorate.

Firstly, I would like to comment on some of the statements made by members of the opposition here today. Why is it that every environmental program has to be discussed through the prism of climate change and every employment program has to be seen as some sort of assault on the union movement? In particular, the member for Chisholm, in her presentation here a little while ago, was speaking about the cattle in the high country. We have been through this before here. The member for Gippsland, who is sitting at the table, is well aware of this issue. The member for Chisholm spoke about the nice little garden in her electorate. They have a pizza oven and are doing all that sort of stuff. It always amazes me that the members in this place who represent completely concreted-over parts of Australia seem to be the experts in environmental programs! She spoke about grazing cattle in the high country and what an assault it was on the environment, but she did not mention the snow-skiing up there. She did not mention the highway going up to the top or the sewage that comes out of those lodges. So perhaps some sort of environmental degradation in the high country is acceptable to her constituents and some of it is not. Those cattle have been grazing there for 150 years and they have done a mighty job in controlling the vegetation and reducing the damage by high-intensity bushfires.

The Green Army project, to my way of thinking, will have two results: one is genuine environmental outcomes and the other is employment outcomes. The shadow minister, who is sitting at the table now, will be well aware of the communities of Boggabilla and Toomelah in my electorate. The Moree Plains Shire Council, in anticipation of the Green Army project, has been working with the communities there, as have I. The residents of Toomelah went through the absolutely gut-wrenching experience of having the shadow minister remove the CDEP program and replace it with nothing else. So, while we have heard members of the opposition speak about this being some sort of assault on the union movement and question whether workers will be treated fairly, I can tell you that the people at Toomelah just want something to do. They want something to do that is worthwhile. They want a reason to get out of bed in the morning. They want to learn a skill that will enable them, after this program, to gain occupations of a permanent nature and they want something that means something to them.

I have been in negotiations with the community up there for some time now in anticipation of this program. I have spoken with the traditional owners of the land up there. I have been out with the traditional owners to Boobera Lagoon. For those of you who may not know, Boobera Lagoon is the resting place of the rainbow serpent. The member is well aware from the work that he does up there of the significance of Boobera Lagoon. The Green Army project will look at restoring some of that area. The powerboats were removed some years ago out of respect for the wishes of the Aboriginal people. Rehabilitation work, weed control, fencing and bank stabilisation—a whole range of things like that—have taken place at Boobera Lagoon. The program will not only have an environmental outcome but also have real significance for the people who will be undertaking these projects. The Green Army program will have an impact on long-term unemployment.

I would like to mention the work of Moree Plains council. There has been some talk from the opposition today about training. I can tell you that the people who will be working on the Green Army projects in my electorate will have proper training. They will do inductions into workplaces through the local council. They will undertake certificate training for chemical accreditation and other genuine workplace issues. They will be given skills that will carry them well beyond the six months that they will be in this program. But what it will really do is give these young people a bit of structure and reason to get out of bed in the morning.

This is a community that the rest of society has largely moved on from. This is a community that has been labelled a hard luck place—a place of no hope. I have to tell you, Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, that that label does that community no justice. The young people up there whom I have been speaking to, and that Kylie Benge and Debby Baxter-Tomkins have been talking to, are waiting with anticipation for this program to start. They are looking to get back into something that is meaningful. They are ready to show the rest of their community that they are capable of real and meaningful work. This Green Army program will fit the bill. There will be a continuation of this program for some time. I commend the bill to the House.

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