Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to outline some important green army projects that are underway in my electorate of Capricornia, in particular Mackay, Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast. The green army provides environmental and conservation training and skills to young locals in the region aged between 17 and 24 to equip them with new skills in an effort to obtain full-time employment. The program is set to become the largest of its type in Australia, building to 15,000 young Australians by 2018. It is evidence of our coalition government delivering on our commitment to provide meaningful experience to unemployed young people in Capricornia, who get paid while they contribute to community projects that we all benefit from.

I am proud to report to the House on three such projects which are being run in conjunction with the Rockhampton Regional Council, the Mackay Regional Council and Livingstone Shire Council. Firstly, in the Livingstone shire an eight-strong green army team has been praised for their work in fixing key tourist attractions along the Capricorn Coast. Tourists and locals will notice a massive change in the environmental surrounds at the Causeway Lake—one of Livingstone shire's most popular picnic and fishing spots, not far from Yeppoon.

The team, which will soon move to a new project at Emu Park, includes Zac King, Ethan Ratcliffe-Turner, Harley King-Hall, Tarcisio Rossi, Steven Johns, Daniel Friswell and Samantha Bartle. The team is supervised by Max Bundesen from Conservation Volunteers Australia. They work 30 hours a week and get paid while they train. Recently, I visited the team with Livingstone Mayor Bill Ludwig. I congratulate the council for participating in the program. While at the Causeway, the green army team has constructed 250 white bollards along the lake foreshore and replanted native plants and ground cover and has been involved in a host of other activities in restoring and protecting the areas natural habitat.

Meanwhile, another eight-strong team of Green Army participants will soon be chosen to begin work to rehabilitate Mount Archer, following damage from bushfires and Cyclone Marcia. Mount Archer is a major landmark, a national park and a hub for community recreation that towers above the city of Rockhampton. The Mount Archer project has been approved by the federal government under a special round to help communities recovering from recent natural disasters. The six-month conservation project is being supervised by the Rockhampton Regional Council. Rockhampton Regional Council has recently approved a master plan with a grand vision to restore Mount Archer to a prominent icon of Rockhampton, with a range of pursuits from bushwalking to extreme mountain sports. The idea is that when visitors come to experience the city, 'You haven't done Rockhampton until you've done Mount Archer'.

I congratulate Mayor Margaret Strelow, Councillor Neil Fisher, committee chair Cherie Rutherford and all council for embracing the Green Army and for their vision, which aims to provide Rockhampton with an icon that will become the city's key tourism and recreational identity. I look forward to working with the council in the future on further ways the federal government can help support their plan. Mount Archer is one of Rockhampton's hidden jewels, but recently it has seen the brunt of Mother Nature in the form of bushfires, landslides and a cyclone. Councillor Neil Fisher suggested that, now, with the help of the Green Army is the perfect time to see the rebirth of this area.

A third Green Army project is soon to get underway in Capricornia, the Mackay riparian restoration project. This will help restore vegetation along the local river system. The program, supervised by Conservation Volunteers Australia, is being overseen by Mackay Regional Council. I congratulate Mackay Mayor Deirdre Comerford and her council for signing up to the third stage of the project. Mayor Comerford is a tremendous and passionate leader in the Mackay region and a Green Army supporter. This project will ensure greater environmental sustainability and will enhance natural ecosystems, repair and prevent erosion and increase biodiversity in this part of Mackay. Young locals interested in joining the Green Army can register their interest in participating at @environment.gov.au.