Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Back, for that question on the Green Army Programme, which is making exceptional progress in helping deliver practical environmental benefits to hundreds of sites around Australia, as well as providing valuable opportunities to thousands of young people to participate in environmental regeneration and to foster a new generation of community volunteers and those who will commit to making a difference in helping their local environment.

In fact, more than 500 Green Army projects have been engaged for delivery over the next three years in rounds 1, 2 and 3 of the project, which have been rolled out to date, with almost 5,000 young people aged between 17 and 24 expected to participate in these projects and gain the valuable benefit of the skills they will learn through participation, as well as the gift of a greater and better environment they will provide to their local communities through the types of projects involved. In total, the government expects to support some 15,000 young people through engagement in Green Army projects by 2018, and we are investing $525 million over the four years to deliver this vast expanse of environmental activism, environmental progress and, of course, hands-on practical experience for the young participants.

The feedback to date from those community organisations who are participating, as well as from the young people participating, is proving to be exceptionally valuable. The Green Army will make a real difference through the revegetation and regeneration of local parks; through habitat protection and restoration; by cleaning up our waterways, riverbanks and creek beds; through foreshore and beach restoration; and through the construction of boardwalks and walking tracks that will, of course, make the local environment even more accessible for more people to enjoy. (Time expired)