Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for North Sydney for bringing this matter of public importance to the House. Right now, families in electorates like mine are making the impossible choice between paying rent and putting food on the table. In these circumstances, when people are struggling to afford the basics, it is difficult to talk about biodiversity. However, let me be clear: protecting Australia's environment is not just an environmental issue; it is an economic one. The government must not treat biodiversity and the cost of living as separate challenges. They are interconnected, and neglecting one will only deepen the crisis in the other. Our parks, green spaces and bushlands are not just picturesque landscapes; they're essential to our wellbeing and economic resilience. Access to nature improves mental and physical health, reducing healthcare costs. Healthy individuals mean a more productive workforce, fewer sick days and lower public health expenditures—real economic savings for our nation.

Biodiversity is a critical asset for current and future generations living in Australia. Healthy ecosystems act as natural buffers against extreme climate impacts, such as floods and droughts. Within the Fowler electorate, biodiversity plays a significant role in producing clean oxygen and the improvement of health, with the benefit of green spaces and minimising urban heat. As we know, in Western Sydney, during the summer, we feel extreme heat. There are an abundance of parks, reserves, wetlands and critical ecosystems such as Chipping Norton Lake, Cabramatta Creek and Bossley Park reserves. I have walked in my local parks and seen how these parks play such an important role for families in Fowler. My local councils have invested a lot of money to develop these parks, because in suburbs big families live in small units and they don't have the room and space to have recreational space. Therefore, it's important to provide recreational spaces. I acknowledge both Fairfield City Council and Liverpool City Council for investing in these recreational facilities for our community.

Fairfield city's biodiversity strategy has also set targets for 30 per cent of the city to have tree canopy cover, a 60 per cent reduction of priority weeds, that 30 per cent of both sides of the creek banks will be rehabilitated to a naturalised condition, and to give away 4,000 Indigenous trees, shrubs and ground covers each year to our local community. These efforts are to ensure that constituents can continue to enjoy the green landscape and nature's benefits for many years to come.

These natural spaces should not be viewed as luxuries. They are lifelines, particularly in times of economic hardship. I encourage the Commonwealth government to play a much more important role in investing in and preserving this limited but natural environment, especially in communities in Western Sydney. While my community's immediate certain is making ends meet, I understand that we can't ignore the bigger picture. If the government is serious about addressing the cost-of-living crisis then it must see protecting Australia's nature and biodiversity as an investment in economic stability, not an afterthought.

We cannot afford to be short-sighted. Protecting nature safeguards our health, jobs, food security and, ultimately, the affordability of life in this country. This parliament must put aside political differences and commit to policies that recognise a deep link between our environment and our economy. By investing in our natural capital, we are investing in our people, ensuring that families, especially those in Fowler, can have not only a thriving environment but also a real chance at a better future.

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