Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today, 8 March, is the anniversary of the 1955 declaration of the Lake Pedder National Park. That richly deserved protection for a jewel in the heart of Tasmania's magnificent wilderness was wrongly revoked in 1967 to provide for the flooding of Lake Pedder, which occurred in 1972. Today is also International Women's Day, an opportunity for us all to reflect on and thank some of the powerful activist women who campaigned to save or restore Lake Pedder over 50 years, including Brenda Hean, Patsy Jones, Hilary Bennell, Patricia Giles, Elspeth Vaughan, Helen Gee, Melva Truchanas and so many more. Some of those fantastic women are no longer with us, but there are two who most certainly are, and, in fact, they're in the gallery today, including Tabatha Badger, the terrific Restore Lake Pedder campaign coordinator, and the awesome Christine Milne, former senator and leader of the Australian Greens. I acknowledge Tabatha, Christine and all of the Restore Lake Pedder crew who are here today.

Restoring rivers and lakes for climate resilience and biodiversity is gaining pace around the world. Over 1,900 dams have been pulled down in the US and more than 230 in Europe in 2021 alone. Now is the time to invest in decommissioning the high-risk dams which are impounding Lake Pedder. Now is the time for the Australian government to nominate the restoration of Lake Pedder as Australia's flagship project for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Restoring Lake Pedder would make right a great wrong. That beautiful lake is there today, and now is the time to restore it.