Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members in this chamber are always pleased to welcome their local schools to our national capital, and I am delighted today to be joined by students from Indooroopilly State School in the electorate of Ryan. The school is located in the foothills of Mt Coot-tha.

When I asked students to consider what I should speak about in parliament on behalf of my constituents, Paarangat Pushkarna proposed concerns about the environment. As he noted, situated in the north of the Ryan electorate is the D'Aguilar National Park, home to many species of flora and fauna and to expanses of forest. However, more funds for volunteer groups are required to maintain the scenic beauty of this park. The same situation affects many bush-care groups in Ryan. While most succeed in their endeavours, thanks to help from the local community and governments, others suffer due to a lack of volunteers, training and support.

I recently attended National Tree Day with the Cubberla-Witton Catchments Network in Ryan. This was an important event in our community and I agree with Paarangat that more frequent events like this could encourage wider community participation. Paarangat says this is the kind of contribution which could really change a community over the long term and requires only a small individual effort. The bushlands in the Ryan electorate, and right across Australia, are the key asset to our country's sustainable future and therefore need community and government support. I congratulate Paarangat and his fellow students on their care for and contribution to our local community.