Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When I came to office, I was surprised at the number of local environmental groups who beat a path to my door. They were people from all walks of life—some retired, others of working age—all committed to climate and environmental action. Then the penny dropped: these groups had sprung up due to a wasted decade of climate denialism and delay. Rather than retreat, they had rolled up their sleeves and gotten on with the work.

The KooyongKoot Alliance, led by Graham, brings together around 20 groups devoted to remediating the largest tributary of the Yarra River. Stretching for 30 kilometres, the KooyongKoot has suffered from the pressures of a growing city. The riverbanks are quite lush in those parts not suffocated by concrete, but the water is cloudy and hostile to life. The scope of the problem—cutting through multiple local and federal jurisdictions while navigating the juggernaut of property development—has not deterred the alliance. Bev, 87 years strong and a member of Back2Nettleton, a local community group dedicated to rejuvenating Nettleton Park in Glen Iris, recalls swimming in Back Creek, a tributary of the KooyongKoot, as a child. Back Creek could one day return to its former glory, thanks to the efforts of these community groups, and I certainly hope that happens. The KooyongKoot Alliance has gone from strength to strength, garnering funding support from the Andrews government and an agreement from three councils. Thanks to their mobilisation, the City of Stonnington was successful in obtaining $1 million from the Albanese government to convert a dog park into a natural wetland fed by the KooyongKoot. The project will enhance biodiversity and wellbeing and assist with flood mitigation, and it would not have happened without their engagement.

Back2Nettleton, born in the darker days of this pandemic, brings locals together twice a month on working bees, to effectively bring back the bees. Focused on removing weeds, planting Indigenous understorey plants and soil improvement, this hill tribe, as affectionately described by Ruth, has strengthened community bonds. Bringing back the critters, I've learned, is all about the understorey. Led by Alison, Rewilding Stonnington has worked tirelessly to banish the nature strip, a misnomer given that most nature strips are biodiversity deserts. Rewilding Stonnington will be getting a well-deserved boost thanks to a $250,000 grant from the Albanese government to rejuvenate marginal land bordering Toorak. My tour of Toolangi Forest by Helen and colleagues for Malvern ACF, as part of Higgins CAN, was eye-opening. Native habitat destruction is not compatible with our climate and extinction emergencies, and seeing it first hand was a revelation. I'd like to thank the friends of groups in Higgins for their contributions to our community.

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