Russell Broadbent (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment. Will the minister update the House on the steps the Morrison government has taken to help our native wildlife and landscapes recover from the recent bushfires and build their resilience to future fire events.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Monash for his question and commend him for his extraordinary speech on the condolence motion for bushfires yesterday and the passion he shows for his affected communities in East Gippsland. There's absolutely no doubt that the damage to the built environment, the rural environment and the natural environment has been extraordinary; in fact, we have witnessed an ecological tragedy. Up to 80 per cent of the World Heritage area of the Blue Mountains has been burnt, and that's just one example.

I've travelled throughout the firegrounds on the Mid North Coast and the South Coast of New South Wales and in the Adelaide Hills and I've met with amazing people—wildlife carers, vets, Indigenous rangers, farmers, state agencies and, of course, property owners who've been left devastated. The Treasurer and I announced a $50 million initial response for wildlife and habitat recovery—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left! The minister has the call.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and we've appointed an expert panel, chaired by Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Sally Box, to advise on immediate and medium-term stages of recovery and our investment. Some 100 participants have attended three roundtables—environmental science, wildlife and land management—and they've really, really informed the development of this response. Money is hitting the ground. For example, in 17 fire affected natural resource management regions we've signed new work orders and we will see immediate work on pests, weeds, feral animals, fencing off of unburnt areas—all of that practical action on the ground. Five million dollars is going to Greening Australia for seed banks and $2½ million to Conservation Volunteers Australia. It's extraordinary that 10,000 volunteers have already lodged expressions of interest through—

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left will cease interjecting or they'll be leaving the chamber. The minister has the call.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is extraordinary to see the volunteer effort on the ground, and I'm sure members opposite have witnessed it. Ten thousand volunteers have registered their interest, through an online portal, with Conservation Volunteers Australia. Again, we will support that effort for practical action.

We've provided a million dollars each for Taronga, Zoos Victoria and Zoos South Australia. They are front line in their conservation efforts to recover insurance populations and absolutely work at the front line of that important conservation.

Small wildlife shelters will be able to apply for programs for their amazing backyard carers, and we will continue to coordinate strategies to build resilience against the impacts of climate change, from funding climate science through to practical actions that we see on our farms and in our community environment programs every single day. Our response to the fires will focus on both immediate recovery and a long-term plan for the environment that supports us all.