Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like any member in this House, our electorates are a hive of activity and good citizenship. Over the last four years as the member for Kooyong, I have had the opportunity to meet passionate and community minded individuals and this has been a highlight. From the sports to the arts, ethnic groups to the environment, each corner of our society and field of endeavour is represented in Kooyong in one way or another. An example of one such group is the Australian Youth Climate Coalition whose representatives, Max, Anna, Janelle and Declan came to see me recently. With 100,000 young members recruited from across the country, this organisation is committed to tackling climate change and promoting renewable energy. Their activities raise awareness among the broader community about the reality of this challenge. It may not surprise you that the government of which I am a part does not subscribe to the Australian Youth Climate Coalition's ambitious target of a 40 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020 and a transition to 100 per cent renewable energy within 10 years. Indeed, our government has been consistent in promoting our five per cent target, which is a bipartisan commitment, and it will be achieved with the assistance of our Direct Action Plan, which includes $2.5 billion for an emissions reduction fund.

In addition, we as a government are committed to a number of other important environmental initiatives, including the $525 million Green Army program, which will be Australia's largest ever group environmental action project, with 15,000 young Australians aged 17 to 24 working on environmental programs around the country. In Kooyong we will have a number of Green Army sites helping to clean up the Yarra River and nearby parks. We are also putting in place the Great Barrier Reef 2050 Plan, which will protect species like dugongs and turtles and will tackle important issues like crown of thorns starfish outbreaks. The Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, is also working on a number of other initiatives as part of a National Landcare Program which involves planting 20 million trees, Dandenong Ranges wildlife recovery and a dolphin and whale protection plan.

From the Antarctic to the Murray Darling, we are committed to better environmental outcomes. In conclusion, I want to acknowledge the many youth orientated organisations in my electorate, including the AYCC, and thank them for their passion and advocacy about the issues that are not just important to them but to our broader community.