Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to update the House on the opening of the new Landcare resource centre in my electorate of Charlton, which coincided with Landcare Week being celebrated nationally. Landcare, of course, is a unique partnership formed between the local community, government and business whose primary goal is to protect and repair our environment. Community Landcare groups tackle land degradation across Australia, with individual groups focusing on particular ecological issues that challenge their local environment.

Last Saturday, 5 September, I had the pleasure of attending a Landcare minimuster in Teralba, in my electorate of Charlton. The minimuster was held to celebrate 20 years of community Landcare in Australia and included the official opening of the new Landcare resource centre, which unfortunately was necessary due to the old one being the subject of an arson attack. The new resource centre will play a vital role in supporting groups committed to tackling land degradation and nurturing the local environment. The development of the centre underscores the important role Landcare plays in sustainable land use, community participation and biodiversity conservation across Australia. It will provide a base for volunteers to develop and share their skills in natural resource management to participate in public relations and administration, and to network with other Landcarers. Additionally, it will be a meeting place where members can work with local government, state agency staff and the wider community to plan and carry out environmental projects.

In Lake Macquarie, which includes the electorate of my colleague the member for Shortland, there are more than 270 Landcare groups supported by the Lake Macquarie Landcare network and Lake Macquarie City Council through the Landcare resource office. These groups are located throughout both my electorate and the electorate of Shortland, and bring together individuals from very diverse backgrounds with a common interest in the protection of Lake Macquarie.

Some of the achievements of Lake Macquarie Landcare include the pollution reducing bioswale, which has become a focus for stormwater education and is a best-practice stormwater quality improvement device. The groups have also revegetated 20 hectares of weed-infested bushland around Lake Macquarie, stabilised 5.5 kilometres of foreshore and stream bank erosion, planted over 140,000 shrubs, included 1,700 people from the local community in their projects and protected over 30 hectares of remnant vegetation. The opening of the resource centre in Teralba will build on this commitment and ensure that Landcare groups in my electorate will foster the development of sound land management practice and support groups as they continue to work towards sustainable land use. I wish all of the groups all the best for the future and every success with the new resource centre.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! In accordance with standing order 193 the time for constituency statements has concluded.