Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the importance of environmental management and conservation in our local communities;

(2) acknowledges the importance of local environmental volunteer groups who devote their time to look after our natural environment;

(3) congratulates our local volunteers on their dedication to supporting our local communities and our environment; and

(4) further acknowledges the Government's continued support of environmental groups through the Communities Environment Program, which provides each of the 151 electorates across Australia with up to $150,000 to fund small, community-led environment projects, totalling $22 million.

Local families in Lindsay love our natural environment. It's an integral part of encouraging healthy, active living in our community. In fact, the heart of our community is our very own Nepean River, which my family and many other families in Lindsay enjoy. It's why I fought so hard to deliver on my election commitment for the Nepean River health upgrade, revitalising the river with native vegetation and weed management. Even the Prime Minister, from his young days as a rower, understands the importance of the Nepean River for healthy, active living. I often say that Lindsay is full to the brim and overflowing with community spirit. Our many local volunteers are the true embodiment of this spirit. I saw it firsthand at Clean Up Australia Day down on the Nepean River, and have seen it many times over my 40-plus years living in the community.

The Morrison government is committed to supporting the environment and volunteers in my electorate of Lindsay, and right across Australia. Through the Communities Environment Program, the Morrison government has provided a total of 1,333 approved projects with a combined value of more than $18 million. The Communities Environment Program delivers $150,000 to every electorate in Australia to fund community led environment projects that will have a real impact for local families, encouraging them to enjoy the outdoors and appreciate the local environment. These projects help our communities protect local flora and fauna and threatened species, and make sure that we can look after our own unique environments.

In Lindsay, this funding has allowed for local environment projects that have revitalised river systems, protected wildlife, supported local volunteers through hands-on practice and education, and better facilities. The Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers, the Cumberland Land Conservancy and the Mulgoa Valley Landcare Group are all contributing to our local natural environment thanks to the Communities Environment Program. It's not unique to Lindsay. Across Australia, this funding ensures wildlife corridors and koala sanctuaries are protected; our local beaches and rivers are cleaned; and, in many cases, revegetation is occurring in rivers, just like in the Nepean River in my electorate of Lindsay. Composting waste and recycling programs are running, nurseries for Indigenous flora are underway and we're funding programs to protect our unique Australian wildlife.

The Communities Environment Program also ensures that we teach our kids the importance of looking after their natural environment. In Lindsay we all enjoy going for bushwalks and using the Nepean River, and that's why it's so important to look after both. Last year my kids and I had the wonderful opportunity of joining our local Mulgoa Valley Landcare Group for a Saturday at the Get Your Hands Dirty! Nocturnal Nature Safari. We planted trees and pulled out weeds—a lot of them. We met new people and spent hours outdoors. This wonderful program encourages young people to get outdoors and look after their natural environment. The Mulgoa Valley Landcare Group have a wonderful team, including Lisa Harrold, who does extraordinary work in our community. They're always looking for more volunteers.

The Communities Environment Program is enriching our community by giving volunteers the support they need. Schools, not-for-profit groups, community and Indigenous organisations and bush care groups have received funding to help them achieve their goals and protect our natural environment. Our local volunteers in Lindsay and right across Australia dedicate their time and effort to care for our environment. They contribute so much to the environment we all love and enjoy in our everyday lives. This means greater protection so more local families can stay healthy and active and enjoy our local parks and river walks. We thank all of our local volunteers for their hard work and we will continue to support their efforts in our community and our local environment.

After taking part in the 30th anniversary of Clean Up Australia Day, I saw the impact of plastic waste on our natural environment. This is another initiative that we're committed to: being a world leader in lessening waste and improving recycling. It's important we have programs like this in our communities. The Communities Environment Program ensures we can all enjoy a cleaner, healthier environment for our kids and for future generations to enjoy.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Lindsay for bringing forward this motion today. I rise today to talk about some of the incredible environmental projects currently underway in Canberra, which I have been able to support through the Communities Environment Program. This program provides our local environmental community groups with fantastic opportunities to improve and protect our precious and unique local environments. Last year I was able to help secure this funding for 11 projects in the Canberra electorate, and today I would like to highlight a few of these.

The first project I would like to talk about is the creation of an urban microforest in the suburb of Lyneham by the Molonglo Conservation Group. Microforests like the one in Lyneham are a great way that we can help mitigate the impact of climate change while creating a beautiful natural space within an urban environment that the community can share. Microforests like these provide a significant cooling effect that helps combat the urban heat island effect, which significantly contributes to global temperature increases. Urban areas can be anywhere from one to three degrees warmer than their surroundings. However, innovative projects like this help keep the temperature down. I was lucky enough to meet with Edwina Robinson and Dan Harris-Pascal from the Molonglo Conservation Group earlier this year to see the microforest site and talk about the plans. It is truly inspiring to see what passionate Canberrans are able to do with funding opportunities like this one.

Another very special project that we were able to help fund is the creation of the Aranda bushland walk, which the Molonglo Conservation Group and the Friends of Aranda Bushland are working hard on together. The walking path will be established in the beautiful bushland adjacent to the Black Mountain reserve. It will engage community members, foster a sense of connection between its visitors and the environment and, most significantly, minimise human impact on important natural assets through the prevention of erosion.

This project also has a special significance. Ian Loiterton, a beloved science teacher, geology aficionado and long-time member of the Friends of Aranda Bushland, volunteer with ParkCare and Landcare, was instrumental in getting this project off the ground. I had the pleasure to meet with Ian several times and see firsthand his passion and dedication to our environment and in particular that special Aranda bushland spot and the group of tight-knit volunteers who have been working together for years to protect and care for it. Ian put so much work and vision into seeing this walk happen, but unfortunately he passed away just before the funding for the project was approved,. The Molonglo Conservation Group and the Friends of Aranda Bushland will continue to create this walk as a memorial to Ian and his immense contribution to the Canberra community and its environment.

Another exciting project that I was able to support was the Ginninderra Catchment Group's plan to restore native grasslands in Lawson and Bruce. Unfortunately, less than five per cent of native grass species remain in the ACT. Nationally this picture is even bleaker, with only 0.5 per cent of our native grass species surviving today. Efforts to restore these critically endangered species are vital, which is why I supported funding for this project. As part of this process the Ginninderra Catchment Group will generate community stewardship, provide capacity building and deliver community revegetation events.

These are just three of the projects that my Communities Environment Program was able to support in my electorate. Whether it is helping ACT Wildlife purchase humidicribs for the rehabilitation of injured native wildlife, assisting the Southern ACT Catchment Group with their fight against the devastating weeds in our native bushland, or supporting the Ginninderra Catchment Group and FrogWatch with their restoration of river bank environments, the Communities Environment Program contributes in a small way to maintaining Australia's unique environment. I have been so proud to play a part in getting funding for these projects, and I encourage Canberrans and environment groups in my electorate who have exciting ideas to improve our environment to apply for future rounds.

However, I do want to take a moment to say that programs like these do not make up for the government's disgraceful track record on climate change. They do not make up for the government's failure to conserve Australia's natural environment. The government currently has a real opportunity with the Samuel review of our EPBC Act to truly strengthen our national laws to protect our precious environment. Our natural environment depends on it.

Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lindsay for moving the motion. The protection, preservation and restoration of the natural environment is a significant issue in Reid. It is an issue that I am frequently contacted about by residents who are very young and also residents who are at the end of their lives. They are rightfully concerned about the anthropogenic damage being done to our environment. I want to commend the work of Reid's local volunteers and conservationists who are working to restore and protect our environment. The Morrison government understands how significant their work is on a local level. That is why, as a government, we are providing ongoing support to environment groups in Reid and across Australia through the Communities Environment Program. The program provides each of the 151 electorates across Australia with up to $150,000 to fund grassroots, community led environment projects.

In the electorate of Reid several of these grants have been provided to our local councils. When the federal government funds projects at a local level we see results that reflect the specific needs of the area. The City of Canada Bay Council has received $20,000 for their improving biodiversity in back yards project. Through this funding the council will train local residents in how to monitor and enhance local habitat for native wildlife, conduct community planting workshops and provide landowners with native plants for revegetation. This project will be taking place in Rodd Point and Five Dock and will provide natural habitats for local wildlife to increase the biodiversity of the area.

The City of Canada Bay Council also received $20,000 for a project taking place at Queen Elizabeth Park in Concord. This funding will be used to restore native flora by removing exotic plant species. The new plant life will create purpose-built habitats for native fauna, including our bees. Likewise, Strathfield council has been awarded a $20,000 grant for their Mason Park bird survey and community engagement program. This project will work with contractors and community members to conduct a bird survey to track the change in migratory shorebird species at Mason Park Wetland. The council will coordinate with BirdLife Australia's Shorebirds 2020 Project, contributing to a national conservation project. Community engagement with local schools, universities and the wider community will strengthen the program's scope and build up the community's pride and commitment to local conservation.

I value the work of our local councils in protecting Reid's native wildlife and natural environment. When the federal government backs projects at a local level we see excellent results. Reid is fortunate to be the home of Sydney Olympic Park, which contains a rich natural environment with over 400 native plant species and three endangered ecological communities. Conservation volunteers are working in collaboration with the Sydney Olympic Park Authority for their frog habitat conservation and rehabilitation project. The project has been granted $18,900 through the Communities Environment Program. The funding will be used to restore the habitat of the endangered green and golden bell frog through bush regeneration activities, including invasive weed removal, native tree planting and habitat construction.

Many of the projects taking place through the Communities Environment Program include an educational element. They engage local students in our area to participate in environmental conservation. I have met with many students in Reid who are passionate about environmental conservation, and I am pleased that through this program students are empowered to protect the environment in real and tangible ways. In Strathfield, Santa Sabina College received $20,000 to create a safe haven for the endangered green and golden bell frogs, as well as for microbats. In Croydon, PLC Sydney students are making use of a $10,000 grant for their native turtle rehabilitation project. They are overseeing a breeding program that will eventually see more native turtles released into the Parramatta River. The school's work is being carried out in partnership with the Parramatta River rejuvenation program and the 1 Million Turtles project.

I am proud to represent a community that is passionate about the preservation and restoration of our natural environment. The Morrison government will continue to provide ongoing support to ensure that local conservation tasks take place in our community.

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

I rise to support this motion moved by the member for Lindsay, who, like me, lives within a world heritage area. But that's probably all we have in common when it comes to the environment, because, while the clean-up projects she referred to are terrific, you can't claim to love the environment and ignore the thing that is having the single biggest impact on the environment in which we live. And of course that would be climate change.

Frankly, the Liberals at the federal level have shown little interest in protecting world heritage in my region over the last seven years. In fact at a state level they are actively bent on destroying the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, or a sizeable chunk of it. The New South Wales Liberal government is continuing its crusade to ride roughshod over the environmental approvals process around the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. They now want this planned wall to be higher than they originally said—not 14 metres higher but 17 metres. The spin, of course, is to save Western Sydney from flooding, but the real reason is to increase urban development in the flood plain. In doing so, they will destroy the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area along the way. The New South Wales government wants to put 134,000 more people onto already overcrowded flood plains, where people will still be exposed to the worst and most dangerous floods however high a wall is built. That's because raising the dam wall won't stop downstream flooding from other rivers and streams that feed into the flood plain. Anyone who has been in the Hawkesbury for several floods knows those facts.

The New South Wales government is deliberately subverting a fair and transparent environmental assessment process. New South Wales agencies, like New South Wales Parks and Wildlife, have reportedly despaired at the New South Wales government's plan not to review the environmental impact statement for the dam in the light of the bushfires. Remember those?—the biggest fires that we've ever had, where 80 per cent of World Heritage burned, with millions of animals killed.

Now a federal department has joined those state agencies in criticising the state government. The Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment said the draft EIS for the wall-raising project needed to account for the effects of fires on 25 threatened plant and animal species that are likely to face risk of inundation when the bigger dam fills. We've also learnt of the federal environment department's concerns about the way New South Wales is the assessing the impact of raising the dam wall on flora and fauna listed as nationally significant under federal environment law. It is good to see this federal agency coming out with concerns.

New South Wales is trying to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars to secure offset land for the damage the lifting of the wall would cause to the World Heritage area. They want the effects of potentially inundating more than 5,000 hectares of Blue Mountains World Heritage area to be treated as an indirect impact that would not require offsetting to counter the likely damage. Raising the wall and flooding the area doesn't just affect the environment, although the effects are absolutely profound; it also affects Indigenous culture heritage, and the assessment of those impacts have been appalling. Gundangara women like Aunty Sharon Brown describe the process as rushed and inadequate. In fact, anyone who has looked at the process has described it that way.

UNESCO is watching all of this, and the federal government must report to it on World Heritage impacts. What we don't want is for the greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage listing to be threatened by this project. There are alternatives. You can invest in downstream flood mitigation and in flood-safe infrastructure—road, bridges and drains. You can limit the number of people in harm's way. But none of these will get serious examination when you have a New South Wales government hell-bent on raising a wall irrespective of the gains or the losses. And that's their problem: they're in the developer's pockets. Nothing will shift them, not even reason, science or the threat to the region's major tourist attraction.

The region I represent has forests, swamps and rivers of all sizes. For many people, the environment is a key reason to choose to live in the mountains or the Hawkesbury. Nine organisations received community environment program grants to support much-needed projects like treating invasive species, stabilising eroding stream banks and protecting wetlands.

The area is 4,000 square metres; that's the size of my electorate. The funding was a start, but it doesn't make up for years of environmental neglect by the Liberals. (Time expired)

Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Environmental management and conservation in our local communities is so important to safeguard our unique Australian ecosystems for future generations. The Morrison government is supporting the fantastic work of local environmental volunteer groups through the very popular Communities Environment Program. In my community, we are incredibly lucky to have Adelaide's best stretch of coastline in the west, the best stretch of the leafy foothills and creeks in the east, and we are even luckier to have so many wonderful local residents who take environmental protection very seriously.

These dedicated volunteers show we can all play a role, no matter how large or small, in improving the health and wellbeing of our environment. That's why I have been so pleased to support so many local initiatives run by volunteer groups that ensure future generations can experience the wonderful environment that my community currently enjoys today. There are so many projects under way or complete that I have been pleased to join my community in supporting, such as the Conservation Volunteers important work on saving the endangered southern bandicoot. Scotch College's Kaurna Shelter Tree Project, working with the tireless Ron Bellchambers, regenerated vegetation around a 400-year-old Indigenous shelter tree and has fostered local connections with Indigenous elders and youth.

Close by, the ever-hardworking Friends of Belair National Park, led by President Mark Pedlar, used a grant to remove feral trees and then restore natural bushland in what is Australia's second-oldest national park. Down the road on the Mitcham Plains, the Friends of Waite Conservation Reserve received a grant for protecting significant vegetation.

Over on the other side of Boothby, the Friends of Marino Conservation Park, led by Alan Wilson, received funding for the relentless work of removing weeds and replanting native vegetation on the park's botanical trail. I have had the pleasure of planting native vegetation here—work that comes with some of the best views of Adelaide's coastline! At the Seacliff Recreation Centre, headed up by the endlessly energetic Beverley Manns, the federal government supported a project called 'Bugs, birds and butterflies', which provided habitat, food and shelter for local fauna, including the installation of a birdbath and a bee hotel. We have also supported the Trees for Life volunteers' work for regeneration and the conservation of the threatened grey box woodland.

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting several community groups to see how their projects were coming along. The first of these was the stormwater management project at the Dara School in Morphettville, headed up by Dara's gifted students. Situated next to the Sturt River, the school community at Dara recognise the importance of limiting waste that enters our waterways, and they kindly welcomed me and the Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans, to see their good work.

Their project has reduced waste water going into the Sturt River by funnelling water through their ecosystem pit. They catch the waste before it reaches the river. Unsurprisingly, the high achievers at Dara also went a bit further, removing invasive weeds and revegetating using native plants. Assistant Minister Evans and I were given the opportunity to test our planting skills, joining students to plant some new varieties. I want to commend Dara's principal, Lynda McInnes, board chair Sophia Elliott, Mr Tony Baulderstone, who owns the site leased to Dara, and all the students at Dara for this fantastic initiative.

I did some more planting at Brighton Beach, with the South Australian Minister for Environment and Water, David Speirs MP, and Trees for Life CEO, Natasha Davis, for the Reclaim the Dunes project. Again, this is supported by a Communities Environment Program grant. It was wonderful to see so many volunteers turn out to this event, including members of the adjacent Brighton Surf Life Saving Club led by President Chris Parsons. All up, Trees for Life will plant over 5,000 plants over four key sites, covering over five hectares of beachside dunes. I wish to extend a big thank you to everyone involved, including Trees for Life member VJ Russell, who organised a very productive morning.

This is just a tiny snapshot of the everyday work done by local community environmental volunteers. These vital initiatives have been made possible by $150,000 in grants, from the Morrison government, but the value for our environment unlocked by the volunteers is priceless. I'm so proud of my community, who understand that the work to look after our environment begins and ends at a local level. I wish to thank all our local volunteer groups in Boothby for the tremendous work they do in protecting and preserving our unique and diverse local environment.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My electorate of Mayo is very proud to have one of the highest rates of volunteering in the country and a high concentration of local community environment groups. We are rightfully proud of our environment in Mayo. Its natural beauty is a core reason people visit and live in our electorate. I've been a strong advocate, since coming to this place, of environmental groups and the funding for those community environmental groups.

In Mayo, these groups are highly effective at implementing onground environmental work, including weed control and creating wildlife corridors, and climate mitigation work. Not only do these groups have a unique understanding of their local environment, but the work of experienced and passionate volunteers is a very cost-effective option for government to do good environmental work, and Mayo's volunteers are, indeed, passionate. I was therefore very pleased when the government announced the Communities Environment Program.

I'm pleased to advise the House that the 2019 program's electorate allocation of $150,000 for Mayo was fully subscribed, with 15 excellent and ultimately successful projects being nominated by my expert panel. All of the projects had a strong on-the-ground conservation focus, with projects including the planting of 2,500 seedlings by the Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Association; planting efforts at JAKEM Farm, including the nationally vulnerable silver daisy bush, and I visited and joined in on the planting last month; the nurturing of 3,000 trees along Bull Creek Range, south of Meadows, by the Prospect Hill Bushland Group; the planting of native trees by the Wistow Community Hall on their property; the establishment of a native garden at Byethorne Park by the Nairne Landcare Group; the removal of bridal creeper weed from the Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park by the Friends of Aldinga Scrub; the introduction of a bush kindy for the children attending the Kangaroo Island Children's Services; and the planting and guarding of 2,000 plants along the Clayton Bay Foreshore Walking Trail by the Clayton Bay Nursery. They are just a few of the great projects that were selected in Mayo. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the government for this program and say that I hope that there are further rounds of the Communities Environment Program. My constituents deeply appreciated the government's support for their conservation work.

I recognise the desire for political equity, but I would encourage the government to consider allocating funding in a tiered manner, according to the land area of each electorate. This would help to ensure that the funds allocated to small and tightly clustered metropolitan electorates are not underspent. As a regional electorate, I know that Mayo could have doubled or indeed tripled the number of projects that were available with the funds. We have such diversity and quality of environment to nurture and many great local community environmental groups who are passionate about the work they do.

I would like to conclude my giving my thanks to members of the panel who worked tirelessly to take the field down to 15. I think it's really important that we in this place all pay tribute to the volunteers. I have been out there on Hindmarsh Island. It is raining and it's cold, but they are still digging and planting trees and clearing out the weeds. If I look just to Hindmarsh Island, they have a wonderful nursery there. They're growing in the nursery the plants that are indigenous to the area and then transplanting them across the region. We are incredibly fortunate in Mayo to have such wonderful environmental groups. I do hope that the minister will consider having this program again this year, in 2020.

Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In Ryan we believe, quite rightly I think, that we live in the most beautiful part of the country, and the local environment is such an important aspect of that. Protecting it is very important to me and the other local residents of the electorate. It's something that I worked on significantly in my previous role for 10 years as a local councillor working with local environment groups, and it is something that I continue to work closely on with Brisbane City Councillor Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.

Whether it is bush care, creek revitalisation, tree planting or engaging our next generation by teaching them about our local environment, these groups are the heart and soul of making sure we keep our local area beautiful. No-one knows how to care for our natural environment better than local people—local residents on the ground who live close to these waterways and green areas. That is why I'm so proud to be part of the Morrison government, which is giving support directly to these groups.

I concur with the previous speaker, that the Morrison government's Communities Environment Program was a tremendous resource—and one that I hope to see repeated—in providing a direct resource to the grassroots organisations themselves for some truly inspirational work that the volunteers are doing in the local electorate of Ryan. It provides funding for them to deliver on the practical projects that have a benefit to the long-term sustainability of our natural environment. This funding injection has a direct impact on making sure that we keep our area cleaner and greener for future generations, and goes towards protecting our lifestyle. This is on top of the significant investments we have already made as a government to protect our environments—through our $2 billion Climate Solutions Fund, the $1 billion commitment to the next phase of the National Landcare Program and our continual investment in renewable energy and resources, among other things. Australia's a world leader when it comes to renewable energy investment—and I would like to take this opportunity to give a quick plug to the tremendous work that they are doing in my electorate of Ryan at CSIRO Pullenvale, when it comes to research on hydrogen renewable technology.

In relation to the funding for this particular program, when the funding round opened, I am sure I shared the experience of many other local MPs in saying that we were inundated by submissions from our fantastic local community groups, who were very keen to get on with some local community projects that they had had their eye on for some time. Projects ranged from protecting our waterways, protecting our native animals, reducing waste and litter and planting our bush restoration. In particular, I want to commend what I observed has been an enhanced focus on local residents and local groups, particularly school children, taking an interest in reducing waste and litter in our waterway, which is something that our assistant minister for waste reduction, Trevor Evans, as a local Brisbane MP and my electorate neighbour, is pushing very hard. During the COVID restrictions, many of these groups were unfortunately unable to meet, but I really want to commend the way in which they continued, with their passion, to undertake the work they could during the COVID period. As restrictions have been relaxed, I'm pleased to see that some of them have been able to get back to the practical activities of planting and weeding that they so enjoy.

As part of the program, I was very pleased to be able to support the over 400 volunteer members of the Moggill Creek Catchment Management Group with their regular weed eradication program and vegetation restoration working bees that they do as part of the catchment area. They have 12 groups within their catchment area and all are highly active. Likewise, the Pullen-Pullen Catchments Group is also very active. The work they do that was funded as part of this is to remove invasive species from the Pullenvale Forest Park. I also want to commend the Cubberla-Witton Catchments Network. They have a number of bush care groups within their auspices that are doing great work in rejuvenating the local environment and, importantly, encouraging our natural wildlife to return to the creeks and natural vegetation areas.

I mentioned earlier the importance of this program, not only for the practical on-the-ground work but also for educating the next generation. I was pleased to support a number of Ryan schools to improve their programs. Oakleigh State School is using the grant to put in place a community composting program that will educate students and engage community members to divert waste from landfill. Indooroopilly State High School is working with the assistance of the funding to organise students, volunteers and local contractors to plant native species and eliminate evasive weeds from the local area. I very much want to thank all the volunteers and students who are working on these local environmental projects. They are a tremendous resource and boon for our local area.