Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The weedy sea dragon—just remember that. We're claiming it, though. It was wonderful to hear the passion and the commitment of two of these leading experts. Dr Pat McWhirter was talking about the vegetation trail from the Dandenongs leading into Western Port Bay. It's the knowledge of these two experts that we're going to need to protect the environmental integrity of the Western Port Bay region, because surrounding Western Port Bay is one of the fastest growth belts in the country. It's something like 10 kilometres away from Cranbourne East. What does that mean? Cranbourne East is the fastest-growing suburb in Australia. On one hand, you have the fastest-growing area in Australia with all of those young families coming to live and make a life for themselves. On the other hand, you have this absolutely unique marine environment. And getting the mixture right in terms of getting the development but protecting the ecosystems is going to be absolutely essential to the integrity of that Western Port Bay and the Tooradin coastal village region. Thank you, Marlene, for making me feel so welcome at this business association dinner, and I look forward to working with you in the future.

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