Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on the motion of the member for Watson this morning about the Royal National Park because, following the redistribution before the last election, I got the most fortunate of redistributions, and most of the Royal National Park. Most of the park, apart from some of the real southern parts, now falls within the great electorate of Hughes, and that is something that I am very proud of.

I would concur with points (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) of the motion moved by the member for Watson. But I am a bit confused when it comes to point (7), which says that federal Labor will consult with the traditional owners and community on nominating the Royal National Park for World Heritage listing. Why I am confused is that this motion is moved by the member for Watson, who was the federal environment minister of this country for three years under the Gillard-Rudd government, yet I am unable to find where he actually said 'boo' about the Royal National Park. As the federal environmental minister for three years, why didn't he, in the past, take any step or say anything about an attempt to get the Royal National Park World Heritage listed?

Both the state government and the federal coalition government have already made moves on this. In fact, in a press release from back in 2015, the New South Wales environment minister said:

Royal National Park is one of the most remarkable places in Australia and we are currently finalising our assessment of the potential World Heritage values of the Park.

He went on:

Once finalised, we will work closely with Minister Hunt's—

the coalition's federal environment minister's—

department to ensure any documents comply with the World Heritage Committee's operational guidelines and the broader World Heritage Convention.

So it was the coalition—the Liberal government of New South Wales and the coalition government here in Canberra—that actually took active steps, while the member of parliament who moved this amendment, a former environment minister for three years in this country, sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing.

There are a couple of issues with the attempted World Heritage listing. I agree with the four criteria put forward by the subcommittee of the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre as to why we should obtain World Heritage Listing. The Royal National Park is the first national park in Australia, having been gazetted in 1879, and its creation marks the beginning of the conservation movement in this country; it is the only national park in the world within the boundaries of a major city; its biodiversity is wide-ranging and unique; and it contains a wilderness area, and a World Heritage listing would protect this unique place from the aggressive urbanisation facing the area.

One of the issues that need to be tackled with the World Heritage listing is that, although we love the Royal National Park—it is a most magnificent area—it is not actually pristine. Before it was listed as a national park, it was used for timber getting. Even after it was gazetted as the Royal National Park, we know that, in 1887, some 3,000 ornamental trees were planted, many of them exotic, when they beautified the area around the Audley weir in the style of an English garden. We also know that in the park in the past there has been excavation of large volumes of gravel, ironstone and claystone for road and rail construction. The logging of trees continued until the 1920s.

I am pleased to support the heritage listing. I am pleased that the New South Wales government are working through all the issues to get this heritage listed. But I am very concerned that we see political opportunism from the Labor Party on this issue, especially from the member for Watson. As environment minister for three years, he did nothing—he did not say boo—but all of a sudden, when he comes into opposition, he thinks this is a good idea. It is something the coalition government has been working on.

One of the great things about the Royal National Park, if I can just conclude, is the magnificent waterways of Port Hacking. Since my electoral boundaries moved, I've taken to throwing my kayak in down at Grays Point and Swallow Rock and kayaking all the way around the south-west arm. The water there is absolutely pristine. You can see the bottom for a couple of metres. Anyone that does that kayaking trip and sees the wilderness and the natural wildlife understands that this place deserves World Heritage listing. I'm pleased the coalition is working towards that.

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