Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also join with the accolades that have been laid upon the member for Canning. Our job here in this House is vast by any stretch of the imagination. When I first took on my role as the federal member for the electorate of Wright, a predominantly regional and rural seat comprising just on 8,000 square kilometres, I never thought that I would stand proudly on the floor of the Australian parliament to advocate the importance not only of the ecology but also of the benefits of the dung beetle. It is only as you get closer to the species that you understand the importance of the dung beetle in the ecology of our environment.

There are over 6,000 species of this one particular animal. In its level of importance in the Australian landscape it is up there with the humble bumblebee—the honey bee. Without the honey bee, without that process of third-party pollination being able to take effect, our agricultural production would be decimated virtually overnight. Maybe not to the extent of the humble bumblebee, but certainly in that ilk of importance, is our dung beetle. It is under threat from many different avenues. We heard from the previous speaker that it was under threat from a financial perspective. Today I want to raise the threat of the current weather conditions and the impact that they are having on the humble dung beetle and some of the progressions that have come about now with new species, which I will speak about.

Some interesting facts on the dung beetle: did you know that they could bury over 250 times their own weight each night? Did you know that each cow can produce 15 of the cow pats that they work through per day? So the number of dung beetles that we can use just by using those two base parameters is enormous. Our weather conditions have had a negative impact on our dung beetles. They look for a particular type of dung that provides a level of nutrient and where they can meet their new partner, their lady friend. The member for Parkes, earlier on, spoke about dung beetles as being 'hes', and the member for Indi said there are shes. There are shes. It is an interesting pattern that, when the male dung beetle rolls up his ball and fights off his little competitors as he tries to get it back to his house, the female dung beetle actually sits up on top of the ball as he rolls it long. It is quite comical to watch how they do it, because he rolls the ball with his large back feet in reverse, while the female balances on top of the ball. They go back to the hut where they have made their nest; they make their larvae; the little baby dung beetles are born inside the ball; and then they eat their way out. So if you ever think you are having a bad day, whether in politics or business, spare a thought for the poor humble dung beetle, because they go about their job surrounded in crap, nude and walking around backwards. Some of our colleagues in this House, without the inference of nudity, would probably think that they are of a similar ilk.

Can I talk very briefly about the very exciting parts of the dung beetle and what they bring—

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