Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, on Threatened Species Day, the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, announced a new recovery plan and $1.3 million of funding for the swift parrot. You'd think, with an announcement like this, that the minister would have consulted with the experts in relation to making sure we can save this critically endangered species. But, alas, we now find out that this was a rushed announcement without consultation, and the very experts who had been asked previously about what to do were left in the dark. In fact, they only found out once they were questioned and asked for a response by journalists. Now, this is just more spin from this environment minister under this government. We know what the real threat to the swift parrot it, and that, of course, is the logging of our native forests.

There are only around 300 to 750 of these birds left in the wild. They are beautiful parrots, they are beautiful birds and they are under huge threat. Every time the logging trucks roll out, their homes are destroyed. The only plan to save the swift parrot is to stop the destruction of our native forests. But, of course, in this recovery plan announced in haste and pushed out for the spin and the cameras last Thursday, there was not one mention of the real threat that is pushing this bird to the brink.

We have to face facts here. If we want to stop the extinction of our native species, we've got to stop destroying their homes. If we want to save the swift parrot—and we all should—we have to stop logging their homes.