Dave Sharma (Wentworth, 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 how the Morrison government is protecting and preserving the natural environment and our native species, such as the koala?

Mr Albanese interjecting—

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

The Leader of the Opposition, you can't take a point of order on a question.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can, in fact.

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

Yes, you're right. You can; but it doesn't end well!

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can on irony—you can indeed.

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

I just say to the Leader of the Opposition that I think he's made a compelling point, and that would lead me to rule out every question from the opposition today! So if he wants me to go down that path—the minister has the call.

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

I thank the member for Wentworth for his question and appreciate his interest in the koala, an iconic umbrella species, as we came out of the Black Summer bushfires. Last week the Morrison government announced a new koala package. This was a further $18 million investment in koala conservation, on top of the $26 million we have invested since 2014 and in advance of the release of the draft koala recovery plan, which is going out for public consultation early next year. As well as research and health science, the package announced a key approach in safeguarding the koala, which is a national koala census.

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

The member for Macarthur, on a point of order?

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance. The koalas in my community have been studied and tracked and their genetics have been known for years. Professor Close—

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

The member for Macarthur will resume his seat. I just say to the member: 90-second statements are between 1.30 and 2.00. The minister has the call.

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

I'm very happy to reassure the member for Macarthur that the Chair of the Independent Threatened Species Scientific Committee, Helene Marsh, called the census a significant move and said that it will put the whole koala strategy at a national level on a completely different footing than it's been in the past. The strategy and package have been welcomed by the Australian Conservation Foundation. They don't always line up in support of the government, but they have welcomed this funding for koala mapping and restoration as a good step at a critical time.

Back to the important package, despite their iconic status there's much to learn about how koala populations are faring. That's why this will fill in the gaps and give us better coordination and reporting, so that we can best protect this extraordinary marsupial. The census will be a standing item at the Meeting Of Environment Ministers, and a range of existing and innovative approaches, such as drones, thermal imaging, acoustic surveys, detector dogs and cameras will be used. Citizen science will be brought to the fore. Communities, schools and conservation volunteers are already doing much of this work, and they will continue. Since we've come to government, we've committed more than $500 million in funding towards our threatened species, including the koala. We've established the Threatened Species Commissioner and Threatened Species Strategy, and 99.9 per cent of the more than 1,900 listed species have either conservation advice or a recovery plan in action.

This koala package, which has been endorsed by scientists and backed by experts, underscores our approach to environmental protection, which is that, when it comes to environmental protection, we listen to the experts, we listen to the science and we take practical action that can make a difference.

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.