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

I thank the member for Fisher for his question and for his advocacy for his electorate. He introduced me to the fabulous Terri Irwin from Australia Zoo on a visit in January. I know that she is standing by for our zoos and aquariums package which is designed to help organisations that exhibit native wildlife, and I know she was talking about opening her zoo in a COVID-safe manner. The jobs, the communities and the activities that are deeply and inextricably linked with our natural environment are certainly front and centre when it comes to the announcements that the Morrison government has made this week. Notwithstanding the pandemic, we've not forgotten the savage impact of the bushfires on our native wildlife and landscapes, with 12 million hectares burnt. In January the Treasurer and I announced $50 million for emergency rescue and recovery but we said that it was a down payment and that more would come. And the Morrison government this week has fulfilled that commitment with a further $150 million to do the heavy lifting when it comes to rehabilitation and long-term recovery of our natural landscapes. This will be delivered through partnerships with land managers, community groups, seed banks, conservation volunteers and Indigenous Australians—all dedicated to on-the-ground recovery action. It will be science led. An expert panel led by our Threatened Species Commissioner has been meeting quietly and confidently. They've listed 119 animals and 471 plants. Through that lens, this fund will be dedicated to recovery.

Before COVID, on the South Coast, I met with environmental rangers connected with their local natural resource management groups to discuss the work they're doing in weed management, cultural burning and rehabilitating coastal saltmarsh and their work with oyster farmers on the Clyde River affected by silt, which is flowing into the river but which will be restricted now with the work that is being done to prevent erosion. The Deputy PM and I drove through a shattered landscape from Holbrook to Jingellic. That patchwork of farms in the bush will be helped by this package. We remain committed to helping protect and support the long-term recovery because we know that, by caring for our natural environment, we're also caring for the communities and the economies that rely on it. Our response will help secure the future of treasured native species such as the koala, the Kangaroo Island dunnart, the Northern Corroboree frog and amazing plants like the Wollemi pine, banksias and bottlebrushes, and our World Heritage areas in the Blue Mountains and the Gondwana Rainforests.

As I said, the natural world is inextricably linked with the communities that depend on it, and we're here for those.

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