Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's interesting to hear you, Minister, talking about the portfolio and the combination of environment and energy. Clearly, it's a challenge to give appropriate weighting to the environment side of that portfolio. You talked recently about how Australia has one of the richest and most complex ecosystems in the world. That's very true. In my own electorate, which is World Heritage listed, we have unique flora and fauna—including koalas and platypuses—and we have a New South Wales government that wants to put a road through them. I think that really goes to the question of how much protection those areas get in this budget.

You've also acknowledged climate change as one of the threats to the 150,000 different species that we have, yet I note there was no new funding for climate change in the budget. There was nothing specific for it. You didn't have to blink and you'd miss it; it just wasn't there. I think that's disappointing.

I'd like the minister to explain the reports that there's a 25 per cent cut to the biodiversity and conservation division of the Department of Environment budget for the coming financial year. That's reported. I'd like to know if that report is accurate. I'd like to know what is the exact size of the cut? This cut's also reported to result in a loss of 60 full-time equivalent staff positions. I want to make the point that that's 60 out of a total base of approximately 200 full-time equivalent staff. So we're talking a cut of a third of staff. It does seem to me that you need people on the ground for the protection of the environment that you talk about, to protect these endangered species—in fact, to protect species not endangered so we can ensure that they remain healthy. So can the minister explain how the department will manage with a cut this size? I've heard these cuts described as 'kneecapping', as 'an absolute calamity for the Australian environment'—

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