Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Whenever I speak to people in my electorate it is very apparent to me that there is great concern about the natural environment. The environment is a subject which is very close to people’s hearts—particularly their local environment. I mean by that the local reserves, wetlands and myriad parks in my electorate of Stirling. As federal member for Stirling, I am committed to making a positive contribution towards the protection and preservation of these bushland and wetland areas. Today I want to express my support for the hundreds of people in Stirling who are battling for the  preservation of our precious wetlands, bushlands and green areas.

Although my electorate of Stirling is only minutes from the centre of Perth and is very much a part of the metropolitan area, it has 33 wetland areas. Strategies need to be put in place to ensure their long-term survival. Given that 2 February was World Wetlands Day, I cannot think of a better time to speak about this. The city of Stirling has 627 hectares of parks, gardens and developed reserves that need protecting. They are there today for everyone to enjoy and I want to make sure they are there for future generations to enjoy. Those 627 hectares equate to six per cent of the electorate. With six per cent of the electorate reserved for recreation, you can understand why such a large number of constituents are campaigning not only for its retention but also for its preservation.

Along with the 33 wetland areas, swamps and natural lakes, and 500 hectares of bushland, Stirling’s residents can choose from 65 major active sporting areas and 700 passive recreational reserves. Play equipment is located on most of these reserves and there are regional playgrounds located throughout the city. Special facilities for people with disabilities are provided at the popular Clarko Reserve, in the beachside suburb of Trigg, as well as at Yokine and Dianella reserves. The City of Stirling, which by and large does a very good job, is redeveloping many of its key reserves. They will become known as community parks, giving the people of Stirling an even greater choice for their recreational pursuits.

The main environmental groups that operate in my electorate have my full support. They include Friends of Trigg Bushland, Stirling Coastcare, Friends of Dianella Bushland, Friends of Star Swamp Bushland, Friends of Carine Wetlands, the City of Stirling Natural Environment Advisory Committee, Friends of Lake Gwelup and the Stirling Wetland Action Group. I pledge to do everything I can to help them preserve Stirling’s natural environment.

It is a political myth that the coalition parties somehow have less regard for the environment than some other parties represented in this place. I totally reject that. I point to the very proud environmental record of the Howard government, which I believe is second to none in the history of the Commonwealth. There are a couple of things I can point to. Most importantly, there is the $2 billion Natural Heritage Trust, which was funded from the sale of the first tranche of Telstra. Then there was the establishment of a nationally agreed vision for environmental education in schools—Educating for a sustainable future: a national environmental education statement .for Australian schoolswhich allows students to receive science based quality information on environmental issues.

I can also point to the introduction of the $200 million Community Water Grants program, which provides funding of up to $50,000 for community groups to encourage the wise use of water. This is an issue which is coming to prominence on the national agenda and it is obviously very important in a country as dry as Australia. The $2 billion Australian Water Fund represents a significant investment in infrastructure. It improves knowledge and water management practices in the stewardship of Australia’s precious water resources. Finally, the government recently announced the $1.8 billion climate change strategy, which is designed to reduce national greenhouse emissions. (Time expired)