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

As Senator Abetz was saying before, there are many things this government is on about and focused on, like ensuring that we create more opportunities for young people, more opportunities for them to get training and experience and more opportunities for them to contribute to the environment. These are indeed things that this government wants to achieve. I know that Senator Lindgren as a former teacher is very focused on opportunities for young people, especially in the state of Queensland, and I value her interest in the Green Army Program, as does Minister Hunt.

The Green Army Program is providing valuable opportunities for 17- to 24-year-old Australians to get real, on-the-ground training and experience for up to six months while delivering practical environmental programs. It is proving to be a huge success, with more than 700 projects announced since the Green Army was launched and more than 350 projects rolled out or being rolled out around Australia.

Round 4 applications for the Green Army are now open, and the government is encouraging projects that focus on preservation of our heritage; protection of the Great Barrier Reef; protection of threatened species, aligning with our efforts in the threatened species recovery strategy; and protection of remote and Indigenous projects in particular. For the first time the government has combined the 20 Million Trees small grants round with a Green Army round, so that community groups can apply for up to three Green Army teams to assist with their planting efforts.

This is making a significant difference to young people and the environment right around Australia, but particularly in Senator Lindgren's home state of Queensland.