Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Solomon. He is such a great local member because he's all over the environmental issues in his seat, but also supports the building of much-needed extra housing.

Last week I made an announcement about a housing estate in Darwin. This was a project that began a few years ago, in 2019, but recently some rare birds were found on the site—Gouldian finches. They're absolutely beautiful birds. I paused the construction on that project to make sure we could protect those birds, and that's what we've done.

The birds are present around a dam on the site. We've protected the dam; we've protected a 50-metre buffer around the dam. We're getting rid of the gamba grass, which is a terrible invasive species in the Northern Territory, replacing it with native grasses for the birds to nest in and feed in. We've also protected a stretch along the coast where we have migratory shorebirds. We're stopping people walking through their nesting areas, which they were previously doing. All in all, we'll add 34 hectares of nature reserve to this area, which is about 18 SCGs.

At the same time as protecting the birds, we'll see 800 new homes built. A new school. A new childcare centre. New community facilities. A new bike path. And I'll tell you what: in a city with a one per cent rental vacancy rate and where one in every 20 people are homeless in the Northern Territory, this much-needed housing will make a real contribution.

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