Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Casey is home to a thriving creative arts community and culture. As the son of an artist and a musician, I enjoy going to many community events where we celebrate the arts. Unfortunately, that skill set was not passed down to me, but it is a core part of who we are in Casey. It's also a large part of the healing and resilience of our community, particularly in the Dandenong Ranges, after the June storms of 2021.

I recently had opportunity to visit the YAVA Gallery & Arts Hub in Healesville, a volunteer organisation that does much in our community to celebrate the arts. I was there for the exhibition and book launch of The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness by Matt Ottley. It was an inspiring display of his journey through mental health challenges, and it was wonderful to speak to Matt. They've got exhibitions by painters, like Jo Caroll, Denise Smith and Clair Bremner. It's an open studio for anyone in the community to come and visit.

I also recently visited Dave Ferrier and the team at Treasuring Our Trees, another creative community organisation that came out of the tragedy that was the June 2021 storms. Dave is repurposing trees in many creative ways to help heal from that trauma.

I want to pay tribute to Gareth Hart, the outgoing Burrinja CEO, someone that I got to know over the last three years as the candidate and as the member for Casey. Gareth steered Burrinja through many challenges—through COVID and through the disasters of the June storms. He has played a key role in helping heal our community. I wish him well on his next journey. He's left a legacy in Casey. Thank you, Gareth.

Recently, I was at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum, where we celebrated the opening of Stories of Giants. Emma Jennings, from Olinda, created this artistic opportunity to heal our community and pay tribute to people like Kalorama CFA captain Bill Robinson and the Emerald SES captain, Ben Owens, who gave so much and sacrificed so much in June 2021 to keep us safe. It was an emotional day, but it was an important day, as we continue to heal as a community. We know that the trauma that many experienced on that night, on that day and in the weeks subsequent will never leave us, but the artistic community of the Dandenong Ranges, of the Yarra Valley and all across Casey has played a key role in helping us continue to move forward. I want to pay tribute to them.

I recently had the opportunity to be at the book launch of Musings from a Poet called Gav, by my good friend Gav Smith from Soupees. He created Soupees to help those in need. His poems are inspirational. They cover a range of topics. It was great to buy a book, support Gav, support Soupees and congratulate him on the work he does for our community.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to acknowledge the work being undertaken by both the Minister for Climate Change and Energy and the Minister for the Environment and Water in the Albanese Labor government. Both of these ministers are working hard on issues that I know people in my electorate care critically about, and those, of course, are the issues of our planet and the impacts of climate change. I want to pay tribute, firstly, to the minister for the environment for the Nature Positive Plan that she is implementing for our country. Stage 1 of that is, of course, the Nature Repair Market scheme. Stage 2 is legislation in front of the parliament at the moment around the national EPA—that is, Environment Protection Australia—and Environment Information Australia, so that we can continue our work to ensure that we have, as a country, a positive plan for nature in this country.

Of course, part of the job of the minister for the environment is around giving approval for projects, and, as the minister, the member for Sydney, has said repeatedly in question time, the Labor Party are doing approvals for renewable energy that are outstripping approvals for coal seam gas seven to one. Under the former government, approvals for renewables versus coal and gas were even, across 10 years. We have ramped up the approvals for renewables thanks to the hard work of these two ministers—one working, obviously, with the energy sector, in the transition, and the other working tirelessly in the approvals. Part of that work has also been getting those approvals done more quickly and more efficiently after a lag time that had stretched out under the previous government. They are both part of a team committed to responsible environmental management and action on climate change, which means creating a new energy system for our nation. That includes renewables. That includes not just the wind and not just solar but looking into green energy wherever we can.

What are we getting from those opposite? A commitment to a nuclear plan that is going to cost too much and take too long. What will that leave us with? That'll leave us with another 10-year vacuum, while people twiddle their thumbs and allow the climate change crisis to deepen and worsen. This is a government committed to action now, not in 10 years. This is a government that doesn't want to waste another decade, like happened last time those opposite took power in this country. I know that in my community these are critical matters. These are matters that young people and families in my community care critically about, and I know they join me in congratulating the two ministers responsible for the plan.