Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

A few days ago, on 9 May, we celebrated World Migratory Bird Day. The theme was 'Every Bird Counts', and it highlighted the important role of community science for the conservation of migratory birds. In Tangney, we are very lucky to have the Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary, led by volunteers Tom and Jenny, who are strong advocates not only for the migratory birds but also for all 131 different species of birds who use Point Waylen. Work has now been started to rehabilitate and restore the foreshore at Point Waylen, with an $850,000 investment from the Albanese government. It was an election commitment I made a little more than a year ago, and I'm proud that we are already getting started on this important work to improve our environment. The investment will include replanting trees and native vegetation along the Swan River. I was at the foreshore two weeks ago and saw work being done. You could smell the healthy soil, with fresh compost and manure, and, of course, we had the opportunity to see some of the birds who use Point Waylen.

Cleaning up the river is a project that is being backed by $10 million from the federal government's Urban Rivers and Catchments Program to restore the Canning River system. Last month, I checked out progress at Adenia Reserve in Riverton, also in Tangney. This site forms part of the Canning River Tidal Flats Weed Control and Revegetation Project. This is a critical intervention to restore the threatened coastal saltmarshes ecological community. The work happening included the removal of invasive species and targeted revegetation. This important work will improve our ecosystem and support biodiversity. Saltmarshes are one of the superheroes in our effort for a healthy planet. Saltmarshes are part of our blue carbon ecosystem and can help store carbon. The saltmarshes at Adenia Reserve are one of the last remaining examples of this habitat along the Canning River, and restoring this is of great importance.

The federal government also recently awarded a $3.9 million grant to the Re.Group in Tangney to upgrade infrastructure at Canning Vale Material Recovery Facility. New equipment will reduce contamination in the paper and cardboard recycling stream to produce materials that meet Australian standards and comply with the waste export regulations. Recycling has an important impact on our environment, and our government recognises this. Through the Recycling Modernisation Fund, the Albanese Labor government is contributing $29.1 million to 15 different recycling projects in Western Australia.

Community volunteers are involved in many of the projects to safeguard our environment. I am proud to have supported Murdoch Community Garden with a Stronger Communities Program grant to establish a Miyawaki pocket forest at Murdoch University. The students, teachers and community volunteers that make up the community garden hosted a planting day last week. Like other pocket forests, this one is expected to offer greater potential for carbon sequestration and greater biodiversity than traditional methods. The community garden is a safe and inclusive space for students at Murdoch and for the wider community. It is another example of how in Tangney we are engaging with nature and caring for nature.

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