Garth Hamilton (Groom, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was very happy to recently receive three wonderful letters from year 3 students at St Monica's in Oakey. They all speak to the future, and they all speak to a consideration of fairness. They care for our world, wildlife and each other. Vanessa and Aubree write:

… a lot of the rubbish in Hawaii is coming from Australia.

… Why do we waste so much money on products and packages that end up as pollution that takes thousands of years to break down?

What a great question. It's great to see young people considering waste and recycling.

Thomas and Kenzie write about responsible farming practices:

We think that cruelty to animals for fast food is wrong. … When we heard that this was happening, we felt like our families were bad but, realized we were good farmers. So, change the law so all animals must see the sun light at least once a day.

I think that's a very important message coming out of a place like Oakey, where farming is such a key part of our local economy.

Ruben and Audrey write on the issue of caring for our wildlife:

We believe that all animals should be treated properly and looked after. People are making animals go extinct by destroying their habitat and polluting the environment. It is up to all of us to stop hurting these animals.

To Ruben and Audrey, I say thank you very much.

Listening to all of these, I am encouraged for our future and encouraged by the leadership provided by these young people. I will say that it's great to see them all speaking about themes of personal accountability, but what rings true to me is the issue of practical environmentalism. It echoes my nineties upbringing with the idea of thinking globally and acting locally.

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