Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to highlight the important work this government is undertaking to preserve our natural environment in my electorate of O'Connor. Last week we committed an extra $2 million to support the recovery of threatened species, and I am delighted to see that some of this work will be happening in my electorate. We will allocate $165,000 to protect one of the last remaining wild populations of numbats in Western Australia. This money, which matches a commitment from the Foundation for Australia's Most Endangered Species, will fund a dog program in Dryandra Woodland. A local group of wildlife enthusiasts, the Numbat Task Force, will run this project to control feral cats in the woodland. We hope that reducing the number of cats will protect the numbat and several other native animals that live in the region.

The government has also committed $200,000 to support four rare species of plants: the matchstick banksia, the black grevillea, the scaly-leaved featherflower and the glossy-leaved hammer orchid. The matchstick banksia, in particular, is found only in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It is estimated only 500 of these plants are left in the wild, so it is vital that we take action now to protect this species from extinction. In O'Connor, we are lucky enough to have one of the most diverse collections of wildlife and plant life that you will find anywhere in Australia. It is great to see the government is taking action to ensure that biodiversity is not lost to our future generations.