Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The proposed Yerriyong motorcycling complex is not just another local development in New South Wales. It provides an insight into the appalling activities of the Liberals in the Shoalhaven area. Why was the former member for Gilmore, Mrs Ann Sudmalis, able to secure almost $10 million in grant funds for the Yerriyong motorcycling complex when the development had not been given consent? Why was the then mayor of the Shoalhaven, Mrs Joanna Gash, Liberal Party stalwart and long-term friend of Mrs Sudmalis, pushing a development on land she was warned from the outset had significant environmental sites? Why did both Sudmalis and Gash continue to pursue this project on such an inappropriate site? Has Sudmalis made any attempt to seek changes to the Commonwealth threatened species list or legislation?

The people of the Shoalhaven deserve answers to these questions. Why has neither of them ever apologised for the reputational damage they've inflicted on Mr Alan Stephenson, a recognised orchid expert? Mr Stephenson is not a member of the Greens. This is a classic case of Sudmalis and Gash not owning their own mistakes, pretending to be the victims of some sort of environmental plot and blaming the Greens—or 'Greenies', as they call those whom they scapegoat.

The Yerriyong motor complex saga started when Shoalhaven City Council tasked a subcommittee with advancing the issue and finding land. In 2012, Gash, then the federal member for Gilmore, was elected mayor. She was determined to deliver the project to help tout herself as an economic saviour for the Shoalhaven. Much fanfare and positive press was given to those who got behind her idea. Shoalhaven City Council's economic development officer was tasked with finding the land. The officer ruled out some cleared land east of the proposed site. This land was considered too hard because of compulsory acquisition and high-voltage powerlines. The Crown land, despite the fact that it had some environmental constraints, was considered an easier target. This land was also touted as a cheaper option, at $500,000, compared to approximately $7 million for the acquisitions. As a comparison, Bathurst city council has compulsorily acquired millions of dollars' worth of cleared farmland to build their racing complex, as they perceived it as having such a high economic worth. The deal cooked up for Motorcycling New South Wales at the Yerriyong land was for the council to remain the owner and Motorcycling New South Wales to pay a $5,000 per annum lease.

According to the Environmental Defenders Office, New South Wales has probably the worst environmental legislation in history. The laws do little to protect the environment. However, despite these poor legal protections, and $1 million spent on studies of the Yerriyong motorcycling land, Motorcycling New South Wales was unable to secure definitive approval. The organisation then walked away from the project. This was early last year. Then the blame game really started.

Orchard specialist Alan Stephenson was thrust into the centre of the controversy, as he had located additional threatened species on the land in question. After being requested by the Parma Yerriyong Community Group to review the consultants environmental work, a single orchard was not the only show stopper, with many other species identified, and over 500 hollow-bearing trees also assessed.

Remember, Gash had been warned that the site she favoured had environmentally significant sites, but Gash did not heed the warnings. Instead of owning her own mistake, it was easier to blame Stephenson and try to undermine his expertise. After Gash's criticism, Stephenson received all manner of personal threats, including death threats. The former Gilmore MP joined the pack of blamers and also got stuck into Stevenson. Neither Gash nor Gilmore has ever apologised for not just their words but the hate they helped to incite towards Stevenson and his family.

Less than six months after the formal withdrawal by Motorcycling New South Wales from the proposed Yerriyong motor complex, Gash teamed up with her arch political enemy, Mr Greg Watson, to try to revive the motorcycle complex project on the same site, despite multiple warnings about the environmental limitations. Sudmalis waved her flag in support. Just two months earlier, Gash and Watson had been at each other's throats with serious code of conduct complaints pertaining to the local government election of 2016.

By the time Watson and Gash teamed up, there were no financial backers for the motorcycle complex, the grant from the Commonwealth had expired and the money redistributed to other Gilmore projects. It also became known that the New South Wales state, and the required government biobanking certificates, could cost in excess of $10 million to purchase, and Shoalhaven City Council, it would appear, would be expected to be the sponsor.

Instead of owning their mistakes and apologising to the community, to Mr Stephenson and to Motorcycling New South Wales for persisting with the wrong location, Gash, Watson and Sudmalis continue to make out that they are the heroes. They are inciting anger and engaging in environmentalist bashing. They might think they are on a win-win but, sadly, the community are the ones who are losing.

On another matter, today The Guardian had this information at the head of an article about Australia's extinction crisis:

More than 1,800 plant and animal species and ecological communities are at risk of extinction right now.

I was recently in South Australia meeting people who work with the southern hairy-nosed wombat. I've got to say, having heard their story and read that article, I became so concerned that this wonderful marsupial might be one of those animals becoming extinct.

In 2016 the southern hairy-nosed wombat's IUCN listing was changed from 'least concern' to 'near threatened'. When you look at what's happening to them in South Australia this is so real and so serious. Bulldozing wombat burrows is a favoured means of management in the mid-north of South Australia, because ideally it destroys wombats and burrows in one activity. It kills them by burial. They can die through injury, they can die because they're crushed or they can die a slow, excruciating death because of lack of oxygen as they are literally buried under the soil. People say they can dig out. They do not dig upwards. These animals are dying, and dying in large numbers.

This method of killing wombats—and this is legal—also destroys complete ecosystems. The burrows or warrens of wombats have become home ecosystems to so many other species. Bulldozing burrows has been used to remove what are called the 'outlying populations' and supposedly to encourage their movement away from farming land. That's the excuse. But the loss of the outlying populations leads to a whole number of problems. We lose the vital connectivity between populations, which can result in isolation, cause inbreeding and further endanger the species. Also, there is no evidence that the wombats are going to escape if their burrows are bulldozed. These animals are more likely to die. Those burrows are their homes, and they are their homes, in most cases, forever. Their innate response when they are in danger is to go to their burrow. That's where they seek protection, but now that has become a death trap. Bulldozing burrows has been known to occur at times when the juveniles are still totally dependent on the burrow for their survival. After approximately six months, young wombats are no longer carried by their mother and are most likely to stay in their burrow for another two to three months—again, putting them in such a vulnerable situation because of the way they are being killed, legally. I'm saying that again, because this clearly needs to be thoroughly investigated and, I would argue, stopped.

The dependency on the burrow is what has enabled the wombat to survive—it is estimated by experts in this area—for 55 million to 65 million years. That's how long they've been on this continent. The burrows have become part of their adaptation to the dry and changing environment of Australia. Now that is being destroyed at a rapid rate. There is an urgent need for more research into this animal, the southern hairy-nosed wombat. It is a unique wombat. It is a species that is only found in this country.

Extinction is entirely avoidable. Professor Lesley Hughes from the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University, when commenting on the whole extinction crisis that is occurring in this country, said: 'I think the whole system is completely broken.' I endorse those comments. I did want to inform the Senate tonight of how serious this extinction crisis is. That wombats, which are so closely identified with Australia, could be suffering and that there is the possibility of their extinction is surely something we should deal with and at least get more research going into this species.

Senate adjourned at 21 : 02