Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In my electorate is the region of Circular Head. It's a unique region, in Tasmania, on our rugged west coasts. It's a region that's been untouched by development ever since Tasmania was settled, and it's an area that we're very proud of. It houses rugged coastlines and sweeping sand-dune type areas, and it's precarious. It's precarious in the fact that if it's not managed correctly, how our Indigenous folk managed that region for many thousands of years, that area will be inundated with weeds and noxious species.

Luckily enough for us our program, which we're all speaking to this morning, stabilises that rugged coastline. It augments and supports it and reinforces our future as an island state. Our rugged coastline of the west coast of Tasmania also takes in many wooded species and houses endangered species, such as Eucalyptus ovata, Eucalyptus brookeriana, Eucalyptus globulus andEucalyptus viminalis. These are nationally renowned species that are becoming less and less frequent in nature.

Our native foresters and our native rangers do a wonderful job in protecting these species, including the wildlife and fauna that live within these wooded areas, including our spotted-tail quoll, our Tasmanian devils and our pademelon wallabies, which are prolific in the region. If you get the chance to go to the west coast of Tasmania, it's absolutely breathtaking. Aside from the majestic coastlines, there are the wooded areas that I talked about, and the coastal dunes and our wildlife that you can see at night. It really is a magnificent place. I take my hat off and pay tribute to those dedicated folk who make up our ranger stations along the west coast of Tasmania and other regions that we've heard about throughout the debate this morning. They are dedicated men and women who do their best day in, day out. They take that extra step to ensure that that land is preserved for our next generation. Credit where credit is due. They do a fantastic job and they should be congratulated.

Finally, I would like to say that I hope our continued support is recognised as we move forward and that these precarious areas of our environment are protected for future generations.

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