Andrew Bragg (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

I take the opportunity to put on record our disappointment about the budget's commitment to biodiversity and its failure to protect the environment. We think they could have done better.

There is a particular emphasis I want to make in this contribution around invasive species, which is a really big problem for our country. We have so many invasive species across our country destroying local flora and fauna and destroying habitat. I think of my own experience growing up in northern Victoria seeing the impact of the European carp and how the European carp would eat the small native fish and even some of the other introduced species which were not causing any great damage. I note your enjoyment of this contribution, Senator Ayres. It's a small example of a much bigger problem for our environment and our economy, particularly when you think about some of the bigger problems, like the fire ants in Queensland which offer a significant threat to human life as well as the ecosystem that we all rely upon. That's why the 2026 budget's failure to provide the right sort of funding in the invasive species space is particularly disappointing.

The government have rebranded the Saving Native Species fund as Protecting Australia's Native Species, but there appears to be a 27 per cent fall in funding, from $64 million to $46 million, and that then provides uncertainty around fire ant eradication, for example. That is, of course, a huge concern for people in Queensland. It also creates uncertainly for deer eradication in World Heritage zones, yellow crazy ant control and feral cat eradication on Kangaroo Island. These all need sustained focus. Minister Ayres, I'm enjoying your smirking there, but these are serious issues. The rabbits cost $197 million. Almost everyone who's got an interest here is saying that there's not enough certainty on the funding, and we want to see from this government a long-term commitment to the eradication of these invasive species. We also note that the national rabbit coordinator expires in late 2026. There's no replacement funding in sight there for the rabbits. The agriculture portfolio overall faces almost $200 million in cuts. These are serious issues for our future.

We note the budget removes a significant amount of funding, and it doesn't have the certainty that is needed to provide the eradication, which takes many years. It would be no surprise to you, Minister Ayres, on the point I made before, about European carp, that this is still a major issue in the waterways of the Murray-Darling and in other parts of Australia. These things take decades to get rid of. That's why putting it on an annualised basis, where governments look to nickel and dime these programs, creates great uncertainty for people who are worried about our environment. Farmers and the like all have genuine concerns about the funding profile here.

We want to see a stronger commitment, over the next year, from the government on these issues. We will of course be considering our own program on this in terms of a funding envelope and also a policy that is a serious policy that can be put against all these different invasive species. The government so far have had a terrible record here. We want them to do better, and we'll be encouraging them to do better.