Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 2017 the Blue Mountains Conservation Society first met with me to tell me about Radiata Plateau, not far from Katoomba. The plateau has long been recovering radiata forest and for decades has more and more returned to its natural state, providing a crucial buffer between development and the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. People walk it assuming that it is publicly owned, but it was always privately owned, most recently by a transcendental meditation group. I shared all this with the then shadow environment minister, Tony Burke, two years ago and introduced him to the passionate ConSoc supporters of the Leave Radiata Plateau Wild campaign. I expressed my support for finding a way to acquire the land should it come up for sale.

State Labor has also been keen to see this land protected, and earlier this year the member for Blue Mountains, Trish Doyle, and shadow environment minister Penny Sharpe announced that a state Labor government would ensure it was added to the national park. That announcement won support from all quarters. When the land came up for sale a few months ago, I wrote to the new federal Minister for the Environment, encouraging her to assist the New South Wales government to buy the land, and I thank her for writing to the state minister. I'm pleased that the New South Wales government has followed through, but the real heroes here are the Blue Mountains Conservation Society and supporters for their vision and persistence over decades to ensure this place of sheer cliffs and spectacular views is protected.