Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Our government thanks the member for North Sydney for moving this matter of public importance. As the member for Canberra did also, I want to personally thank her for the spirit in which she has engaged in her work in this parliament, and I wish her well for the future.

The truth is that our government does have some serious runs on the board when it comes to protecting nature and biodiversity. We completely agree that this parliament should set aside its political differences and work to do more to protect Australia's incredible nature and biodiversity. But it was a bit remiss of the previous speaker and others to try and pretend that the coalition, those opposite, haven't partnered with the Greens political party to block more action in this regard. But we persist, and we are doing more and more to protect nature and biodiversity.

This is a very important issue to us in the Northern Territory, and that's why our government committed $3.82 million in funding to restore urban waterways in my electorate. In Darwin and Palmerston, we did this through the commitment to the Darwin Harbour Catchment Waterways Project. I thank the member for Sydney for that investment in the capital of the north.

Landcare NT welcome this exciting news, and they're leading the project in partnership with local Landcare groups, such as the Ludmilla Creek Landcare Group just near our family home. This is part of our government's Urban Rivers and Catchments Program. Landcare NT represents over 20 community Landcare groups across the NT, in my electorate and in the member for Lingiari's electorate. They play an essential role in the ongoing monitoring and improvement of the health of our natural landscapes. This particular project will help improve the health of beautiful waterways, including Rapid Creek, Ludmilla Creek and Sandy Creek and Mitchell Creek in Palmerston. By enhancing community biodiversity and improving water quality to benefit native species in these regions, the project will ensure that these natural habitats and recreation areas are protected for the future for our Territory children and our communities to enjoy.

We are also protecting our nature and biodiversity through our action on climate change and in our significant investment in renewables. The Albanese Labor government are committed to northern Australia, and we're committed to net zero and becoming a renewable energy superpower—and those three things are quite interlinked. Australia is lucky, of course, to be one of the sunniest places in the world, with some of the best solar and wind opportunities in the member for Lingiari's electorate. Our government is harnessing those opportunities and executing the lowest cost pathway to a clean, affordable, reliable and resilient energy system.

The north is playing a critical role in supporting our nation's transition to a net zero economy, which, as I'm sure the member for North Sydney would agree, is important as well. The Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct will play a key role in the transition to this net zero economy. SunCable and other companies are set to harness the Northern Territory's world-class solar resource, driving green—or, as I prefer to say, golden—Territory electricity into Darwin and the broader region, including markets such as Singapore. This energy will drive a new wave of green industrial development both at Middle Arm and, I believe, in the future, at East Arm. New green industries include critical minerals processing, hydrogen, ammonia, sustainable aviation fuels and data centres. Of course, there are also very serious CCS proposals to deal with CO2 emissions.

For their own narrow political ends, the Greens political party like to pretend that Middle Arm has nothing to do with our renewable energy future, but Australia will only be worse off if they are successful. Territorians know better, Australians know better, and our regional neighbours know better as well.

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