John Cobb (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to bring some sanity back into the chamber and talk about the Green Army projects in my electorate of Calare, and how they have already begun to deliver positive results.

Green Corps, which we had back in the previous coalition government years, was an extremely successful project which brought together people—unemployed people generally—to help them get used to a working life and to set them up to get jobs out in the world. But the Green Army is a little different in that it involves people who are quite likely to be already employed and who actually choose to go into the Green Army, but the Green Corps was and the Green Army is totally dependent on having each group of people reach their potential. In the case I am talking about I think they were aged from 17 and 18 years to about 24 and 25 years. The team leader is still incredibly important to their ability to reach their potential.

The group we met with the other day at Bathurst were under Jack Fry, their overseer. He reported that they were nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. They had to deal with incredibly inclement weather—although we are rather glad they did because we needed the rain—and the team has put in a lot of hard work. They have gotten rid of over two tonnes of rubbish, and they have tidied up the edge of Bathurst city. They have removed two kilometres of unwanted fencing. They have cleaned up local waterways.

It has been a great result. And not only are the participants of the project generating real environmental and conservation benefits for the region; they are also gaining incredibly valuable practical training which will stand them in good stead and actually give them credits towards entering the workforce in the environmental area. And that is what the project is about; giving young people the best chance they can, particularly if they choose to go into that area. I am hoping that the Bathurst Green Army team have set—because they are the first one in my electorate to get going—a great example that everybody else can follow on from.

I just got word that another one is about to start a project—in Cabonne, in my own LGA. It will focus on reintroducing and removing vegetation along Molong, Boree, Mandagery Creeks and Belubula River, an area where I hope to see a new dam in the near future. (Time expired)