Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In 2019, the world's largest bushfire from a single ignition point swept through the Blue Mountains precious World Heritage area. The now infamous Gospers Mountain fire devastated 80 per cent of the World Heritage area, and you can still see the scars. It killed billions of animals alongside the other fires that burned across the country. In our region, it went through a million hectares. That bushfire and the other ones right around the country contributed significantly to the overall picture of environmental decline that we see in the 2021 State of the environment report.

In Australia, more mammal species have been lost than in any other continent. This is not something that's only happened in the bushfires; it's been happening for a long time. It was really disappointing that the previous government didn't reveal this information as soon as it had it in its hands, to be upfront with people and say, 'This is what we're facing.' They didn't want that grim picture of the nation's environment to be out in the lead-up to the federal election. But I'm very pleased that it was one of the first things we did in coming to government.

The report is one of the most important documents for those people living in sensitive areas like the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury who deserve to know the truth. While we can't undo all the damage we've inherited, we can recognise that the legislation that sets the rules, the EPBC Act, is not up to scratch and needs to change. I look forward to working with the minister in the coming months as we make those changes and find a pathway forward.

I want to talk a bit about the Blue Mountains and what's so special about that World Heritage area, just one example of it. It's been a really long and continuing battle to preserve the Blue Mountains environment. The story of the mighty Blue Gum Forest in the Grose Valley is a really good example. We have just marked the 90th anniversary of a group of bushwalkers saving this forest from the axe after they pooled resources and bought a lease to preserve it for future generations.

The Blue Gum Forest is a magnificent stand of eucalypts located within the Blue Mountains National Park, and it's only accessible via walking tracks. The New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service says that those who know it well speak of the forest in hushed tones because, once seen, it's never forgotten. While its preservation might not seem like such a big deal in 2022, when much of the Blue Mountains is protected by national parks and World Heritage, it was a seminal event back in September 1932.

Here's the story. Soldier settlers Clarrie Hungerford and Bert Pierce had cut a track into the valley in 1930. Hungerford planned to clear the extensive Eucalyptus deanei forest to plant walnuts on a 40-acre lease that he held. But a group from the Sydney Bush Walkers and Mountain Trails Club were horrified to learn of the plans after bumping into Hungerford and Pierce during a camping trip at Easter 1931. They set out to see what they could do to stop them. They formed a committee, with Myles Dunphy—a name a very well known, respected and loved in the Blue Mountains—as secretary. They raised funds and they purchased the lease off Hungerford for 130 pounds. The government proclaimed the reserve for public recreation on 2 September 1932. The forest was saved, and it has just marked its 90th anniversary.

As the Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage Organisations says, the forest was to be the 'cradle of today's New South Wales conservation movement'. It would be swallowed up by the Blue Mountains National Park at the beginning of the 1960s—that's a whole other story—but the Blue Gum Forest remains a magnet for bushwalkers today. It's our responsibility, going forward, to make sure that our rules can protect its integrity so it's there for future generations.

Protecting our environment also means ensuring there are adequate preparedness, response and recovery mechanisms in place when national disasters like bushfires and floods hit. The Albanese government has announced the establishment of a new agency, NEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, bringing two other agencies together. The communities that I represent in the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury, which have been hit by natural disaster after natural disaster, know that we can coordinate this better. But not only should it protect people; it should also be looking at how we protect the environment.

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