Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This weekend marked National Tree Day, and I rise to pay tribute to the incredible work of our local communities in Hasluck, in particular Ashfield CAN, Eden Hill CAN and the many volunteers at Trillion Trees, who are not just planting trees but also planting hope. In the face of environmental degradation and the very real impacts of climate change, these groups are rolling up their sleeves, digging deep and restoring the lungs of our suburbs. Their work helps cool our neighbourhoods, protects biodiversity and brings people together with purpose. It is the best of what community action can be.

Across the nation, Australia in fact came together to plant an incredible 28 million trees. That's over 10 million dedicated hours of volunteer time. I'm proud that, under an Albanese Labor government, we are matching this community effort with real, tangible commitments. In Hasluck I have committed to an urban tree canopy program, which is vital to tackling urban heat and ensuring liveable cities for our future generations. We're restoring critical ecosystems such as in Grogan Swamp and the Ashfield Flats and protecting these wetlands for their biodiversity, water management and cultural importance.

These projects aren't just about trees and water; they're about jobs, health, resilience and legacy. But, while communities like ours and governments like ours are building for the future, the coalition is dragging us backwards. This very same weekend, the member for Canning, who I'm very happy is in the chamber to hear this, stood with the WA Liberals and voted to abandon Australia's 2050 net zero target. This is not a policy debate; it's a declaration of climate surrender, and it's so disappointing to have it from you. Let's be clear: net zero isn't radical; it's the global baseline. Every major economy has committed to it. The science is clear, the community wants action and the economic opportunities are enormous, especially for Western Australia, and yet the WA Liberals and the member for Canning are hitching their wagon to climate denialism and reckless political games. If they want a prospect of winning back Hasluck, they need to come and speak to the communities of Brabham and Dayton and talk about 48-degree days and understand exactly what the answer is to ignoring climate action.

If you need more evidence of how out of touch and divided the coalition is, just look at their leadership circus. Barnaby Joyce seems more focused on making headlines than policies. Michael McCormack was caught describing climate targets as 'green voodoo' and 'lunatic crusades'. Honestly, it's a basket case—no vision, no unity and certainly no commitments to our planet or our community.

While the coalition plays games and undermines climate action, in Hasluck we plant trees, we restore wetlands, we build climate resilience from the ground up, because the people of Hasluck know that the best time to have planted a tree was, of course, 20 years ago. The second-best time is now, and let's get on with it. (Time expired)

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