Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Monash for his question and commend him for his extraordinary speech on the condolence motion for bushfires yesterday and the passion he shows for his affected communities in East Gippsland. There's absolutely no doubt that the damage to the built environment, the rural environment and the natural environment has been extraordinary; in fact, we have witnessed an ecological tragedy. Up to 80 per cent of the World Heritage area of the Blue Mountains has been burnt, and that's just one example.

I've travelled throughout the firegrounds on the Mid North Coast and the South Coast of New South Wales and in the Adelaide Hills and I've met with amazing people—wildlife carers, vets, Indigenous rangers, farmers, state agencies and, of course, property owners who've been left devastated. The Treasurer and I announced a $50 million initial response for wildlife and habitat recovery—

See this speech in context