Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A couple of days ago, on Sunday 5 March, it was Clean Up Australia Day. This is an annual event that sees thousands of Australians get out and about in their communities to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment. It's the good old-fashioned power of people. It's a recreational fishing group removing marine debris. It's school students keeping their neighbourhood clean and tidy. It's tree planting groups removing litter from a local reserve.

It's no different in my neck of the woods in Far North Queensland, where we are lucky enough to have both the wet tropics rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef on our doorstep. Just this weekend the Hekili Outrigger Canoe Club, based out of Yorkeys Knob, held their own clean-up event, and it was very well attended. We know the challenge of cleaning up at these events is a positive, practical action that makes a difference to the health of our planet, but that challenge goes far beyond one day. I also know that there are individuals, groups and businesses right across this country that are doing their bit day in, day out to help. As Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, I see this commitment every single day in our communities, with groups like the Tangaroa Blue foundation, who I was fortunate enough to join forces with recently to host a community beach clean, alongside the Dawul Wuru rural rangers and local residents. We removed over 33 kilograms of rubbish from a local beach and waterway that feeds directly into the Great Barrier Reef.

I am incredibly proud of these groups and the work that they do. I'm also proud that as a Labor government we've got straight to work to restore our environmental credibility, to recognise the value of our natural environment and to take real action on climate change. We couldn't do it without the community on the ground. We will back their commitment with real action, and we're seeing that already. Just a few months ago, Australia signed a strong determination to end plastic pollution around the world. (Time expired)