Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In case you need more convincing that Casey is the best part of Australia, our community is the only place in the world you can find the helmeted honeyeater and the Leadbeater's possum in the wild, and that is because we are dedicated teams of environmental volunteers who work tirelessly to save habitats and increase biodiversity in Yellingbo and across our region.

Today I want to congratulate the Nangana Landcare Network, which was recently awarded silver for their work saving Victoria's faunal emblems at the Australian Geographical Society's award night. The network was one of 70 applicants across the country. They made it through the shortlist of 21 groups and were named just one of five winning groups across the country. Their winning project was a long-term environmental initiative spanning 128,000 hectares of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. Throughout the years, the group has contributed to the quadrupling of the helmeted honeyeater population and saving the habitat of the Leadbeater's possum. I met with Nangana's vice president and secretary, Jenny Lyndon, earlier this year, and it is amazing to see the network round the year out with his well-deserved recognition. Congratulations, and thank you to all our local environmental volunteers who have been involved in protecting our faunal emblems and making sure that in the Yarra Ranges agriculture and nature work side-by-side.

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