Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, I had the pleasure of being joined by the shadow minister for defence, the honourable Richard Marles; alongside the acting Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Paul Tully; the state Labor candidate for Jordan, Mrs Charis Mullen; and members of the local community to call for a consultation process by the federal government and the Department of Defence to see the Springfield environmental corridor placed in community hands. Equal in size to 10 Suncorp Stadium precincts, the 137-hectare parcel of land is currently owned by the Department of Defence. However, it sits directly adjacent to housing and the local school, Woodcrest State College, meaning Defence activities are significantly restricted.

Throughout the past 12 months, and indeed during the 2016 federal election campaign, the Springfield community have been calling for the bushland to be handed over to the local Ipswich City Council and put to better use. From bushwalking and birdwatching all the way through to heritage and cultural walking tracks, this land is an important part of Springfield, and it is what we call the 'green lungs' of Springfield. It should be handed over to the local community. Such handovers are not without precedent, including the rezoning of nearby Wacol bushland back in 2005. The Springfield community have been loud and clear that this land should be handed over to the local council and kept in public hands. I call on the federal government and the Department of Defence to engage with the community, listen to what locals have to say and see this bushland protected for the future.