Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the important initiatives in my electorate that are helping to reduce environmental damage and protect our green areas. Our commitment to the protection of the environment is embodied in our emissions reduction. The government's Emissions Reduction Fund is already cutting 47 million tonnes of pollution—four times the reduction under Labor's carbon tax. We are meeting Australia's 2020 targets and have set an ambitious target for 2030. Most prominent in my electorate of Brisbane are the successful Green Army programs, some of which were recently visited by the Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt. Nothing is more satisfying than when policies address multiple issues, and the Green Army program is doing exactly that by cleaning up our local creeks and parks while providing very valuable employment and experience to young workers. The three Green Army projects that I promised for the Brisbane electorate are underway and almost complete. They are delivering better environmental outcomes for the communities in Alderley, Bardon and Stafford, as well as for Greater Brisbane.

Not only have the federal government invested $2 billion into land care for natural resource management; we have also committed to planting 20 million trees by 2020. We have also announced a $250 million fund under the government's Clean Energy Finance Corporation. All of these initiatives illustrate our commitment to the environment and are about a cleaner, more sustainable Australia.