Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week is Landcare Week, and I'm pleased to make a contribution about a cause and organisation that is close to my heart.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You may laugh, David, but you come to those communities and look them in the eye!

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Excuse me, senators, Senator Ciccone has the call.

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've had the pleasure of being the co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Landcare in the last parliament and I hope to do so in this parliament, the 47th Parliament. I hope that all my Senate colleagues received my recent communication, with Senator Perin Davey, on joining the group stating that we celebrate the great work that many Landcare organisations do across our country. Since I was first a senator, I've enjoyed engaging with many Landcare volunteers right across my home state of Victoria. It is a wonderful organisation, full of extraordinary people who dedicate themselves to restoring, enhancing and protecting the natural environment which our communities enjoy.

Landcare has been bringing volunteers together to undertake activities and share information for over 30 years. It first started in my home state, in Victoria, with the Victorian Farmers Federation and many Landcare groups. It's great to see where it has gotten to today in 2022. Over 6,000 Landcare groups are active right across Australia, with over 100,000 volunteers. Unfortunately, there is more work than ever for these volunteers to do. With the increasing frequency of natural disasters, like floods and bushfires, landcare has never been more important.

The work these volunteers do is invaluable, and they come from all walks of life, so it is fitting that the theme for Landcare week is 'celebrating landcare diversity'. It doesn't matter if you live in the regions or in the city or whether you work on a farm or in the office. I encourage all Australians to seek out their local Landcare group and get involved.