Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every 5 June is World Environment Day. It is good to hear members speaking about the environment and carbon farming and how important a carbon economy is to the Australian economy. I congratulate the member for Riverina for raising these matters. I also want to raise the fact that World Environment Day celebrations began in 1972, in comparative terms a very short period of time ago, just the blink of an eye. But it is very important. It was first started by the United Nations Environment Program, and it is about personalising environmental issues around the world because they are really important, just like a whole range of other issues related to the environment.

This year's theme is Forests: Nature At Your Service, recognising just how important every part of our environment is to human wellbeing, in particular that of forests and trees. Environmental concerns are very important to the people of Oxley, as I am sure they are to every single member in this House and every senator representing a state. My office takes calls on a regular basis from constituents who are concerned about environmental issues. Just recently I went to a school where the students from that area were concerned about turtles in the region and about what we could do as a federal government to further protect turtles and do more for the environment. The main issue though that people have raised with me of late is about climate change. The issue they raise with me is about when we are going to get on with the job of dealing with climate change. It is clear to me that people have already stepped over a whole range of issues and are now saying, 'What are we all going to do about it?'

In my electorate, I am going to do something about it. On 5 June I am going to be co-hosting a free community event with Fran Bell, a very good local constituent, hard-working mum and business woman who also happens to be the very good Labor candidate for the Jamboree ward in the upcoming Brisbane City Council elections next year. The event will be held at Lorikeet Park in Mount Ommaney, which is a great park in my electorate. Members of the community will be able to come down, speak to different environmental groups, speak to Fran, speak to me, pick up some free trees, share experiences and have discussions about the environment with people who share concerns and understand the importance of these issues and why their federal government should be taking strong action in these areas. I am inviting mums and dads down with their kids because they will be able to paint their hands and place a hand print on a banner that we are doing up especially for the day. It will be a great free community event for all the people of Oxley and for people from the wider region as well. It is the first time that we have conducted such an event on this particular day and, in keeping with the theme of forests, we are hoping that from a small seed this will grow into a significant event in my electorate in years to come. (Time expired)