David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is good to resume my remarks from earlier today. As I said earlier, I think that this Green Army Program really demonstrates a clear philosophical difference when it comes to environmental policy between the government and those opposite, and that difference is no better emphasised than in the respective approaches to emissions reduction. On the government side is the Direct Action Plan, which will have a minimal impact on the economy with a very substantial impact on emissions reduction and will achieve that five per cent target by 2020. Opposite is the carbon tax with huge impacts right across the economy, including the $550 per year that ordinary families have been slugged with. They will have to pay that unfortunate tax.

That is the broader picture on emissions reduction environmental policy. Within that context of a practical approach to fixing environmental problems, the Green Army project is a tremendous example. The Green Army project will involve a huge amount of productive, practical work addressing environmental problems right around Australia. Not only will it provide an environmental benefit but it will also provide an important benefit to the young people of Australia. It provides opportunities for employment for young Australians from 17 to 24 years of age. By getting involved in these projects they know they are doing something great for their local community and their country as well. The government expects 15,000 participants to be involved by 2018 on 1,500 environmental projects. It will, indeed, be a veritable army of people working on these projects.

There is a higher proportion of young people in my electorate than there is in Australia as a whole. The opportunities that are created by the Green Army Program are particularly important and appreciated in my community. The six-month projects with nine young people will be led by a supervisor who will generally have substantial experience in land care and so on. It will be great to see 2,500 people involved in these projects in the next financial year. We are getting very close to the day when these Green Army projects become a reality right around our nation, and that is great to see.

I want to reflect today on two Green Army projects that will be taking place within my electorate. They are projects that I fought for during the election campaign and I was very pleased to make a commitment to those during that campaign. One of the most beautiful regions in my electorate is the area around the Georges River, none more so than the area around Oatley, which is home to Oatley Park, one of the largest urban parks anywhere in Sydney. In Oatley, in the Georges River area, we have the Lime Kiln Bay wetland area. This was established back in 1999 as a very worthy project to effectively capture as many pollutants as possible from stormwater prior to them getting into the Georges River. The function of gross pollutant traps and similar wetlands is to effectively act as a filter. The dirty water comes in from the stormwater and there are things in that water that we do not want in our rivers. We do not want pollutants, detergents or rubbish in our rivers. The role of the pollutant trap at Lime Kiln Bay is to capture much of those pollutants prior to them entering the river.

The wetland has been somewhat successful but there is a lot more that needs to be done. The reality is, if you visit the wetland at Lime Kiln Bay, particularly after heavy rain, you can see the environmental damage that stormwater does to the area: you can see the rubbish that builds up and you can see a slick in the water from the overflow from the man-made gross pollutant trap. Unfortunately, what that means is that on occasion the water in the Georges River near Lime Kiln Bay does not meet the standards that we all want it to. Parts of the Georges River are in very good condition and parts of it are in quite poor condition.

The area around Lime Kiln Bay, particularly after heavy rain, absolutely needs our attention. The Green Army project at Lime Kiln Bay will develop that wetland, plant more vegetation and effectively focus on making it more effective. For a wetland to be effective it needs the right amount of vegetation and the infrastructure to catch those pollutants prior to them getting into the river. Part of the gross pollutant trap is quite thick with reeds and vegetation that is meant to capture the pollutants and part of the area is not. Replanting that vegetation is an important part of the project.

I am looking forward to getting cracking on this. It will complement the great work already being done by local organisations, like the Friends of Oatley, the Oatley Flora and Fauna Conservation Society and the local bushcare group, which does so much great work in conjunction with Hurstville Council. The Lime Kiln Bay project is an important one and is a fantastic product of this very enlightened policy of the Green Army Program.

Another project that we are looking forward to getting started in my electorate is in the Georges River National Park at Padstow. Frankly, the Georges River National Park in Padstow is in an appalling state. There is debris and garbage right around the banks of the river in this area. On a recent trip to this area with some of our local media, those of us present were shocked by the very poor quality of the environment at Padstow. The site below Alfords Point Bridge, which is well known to residents in my electorate from Illawong across to Padstow, has been neglected for some time and there is an unfortunate consequence of that.

We have three important priorities for the clean-up at Padstow. Firstly, the project will remove the significant piles of building and household waste that is on the walking tracks that run down to the Georges River in this area and along the beachfront. As I say, this is an area which urgently needs attention. We will also improve the walking track between Bushland Drive and the beach area. Because of the physical environment, the amount of rubbish and the fact that this track is overgrown and very rarely used, it is not a place that the community can enjoy at the moment. One of the great practical outcomes of this project will be not only the environmental benefit but also the amenity benefit. Once we clean up this area and make it more usable, it will, once again, be a place where families can enjoy the banks of the Georges River at Padstow.

There is also some inappropriate vegetation in this region. It is vegetation which is not native and, in and of itself, has caused problems to the natural environment. We will revegetate the area with native species. As you know, Mr Deputy Speaker, those native species often perform the very useful role of improving the quality of water run-off that ends up in the river.

The Georges River is the environmental jewel in the crown of the Banks electorate and, indeed, much of southern and south-western Sydney. For too long, parts of the Georges River have been neglected. There are over 400 species of fauna in the area. It is, of course, one of the largest urban river systems in Australia. But it has not got the attention that it has deserved in the past. We are certainly looking forward to getting these two projects underway. Further applications are in the works for the Banks electorate, including the beautiful region of Lugarno. As a local member, it is tremendous to be able to bring a practical reality to our environmental policies, in the form of the Green Army program, and to deliver benefits for the people of Banks.

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