David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Over the years we've seen what our local communities have to offer when it comes to caring for our environment. They're doing great work to manage, conserve and protect our natural habitats—land, rivers, wetlands, coast and all the species they support. I want to acknowledge the work they've been doing through Communities Environment Program grants in my electorate of Lyne.

Coomba landcare got a $15½ thousand grant. They have been active for over 40 years, preventing proliferation of weeds, planting endemic species and improving their reserves. Karuah and Great Lakes Landcare have been removing weeds and teaching best-practice control methods to all their members. The Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Progress Association has done restoration works on the Myall River foreshore with environmental stabilisation. At the Dungog Common reserve, $20,000 has gone into controlling lantana and woody weeds. The Rail Motor Society at Paterson has been preventing erosion and sediment contamination. Mid Coast Women in Dairy have used their $16½ thousand to engage the wider farming community in best practice for plastic waste recycling. Tinonee Public School has been planting koala feed trees, and Old Bar Men's Shed have been constructing possum boxes for FAWNA New South Wales. This just goes to show what local, practical community environmental programs can achieve.

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