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Monday, 30 May 2011
Page: 5149

Mrs MARKUS (Macquarie) (12:00): It is with great pleasure that I speak to my motion to establish the Greater Western Sydney Conservation Corridor. The corridor seeks to link a series of nature reserves with priority conservation sites and private and public land to establish a continuous conservation corridor for the protection of Western Sydney endangered flora and fauna species. It will also deliver an environmental legacy for future generations in Sydney's Greater West. The creation of the corridor will see a continuous linkage of large bushland remnants from Mulgoa Nature Reserve to Shane's Park, to Windsor Downs Nature Reserve, to Agnes Banks Nature Reserve and back to Mulgoa. The ideal outcome is a corridor over 30 kilometres in length and 10,000 hectares in size.

With an estimated 500,000 new residents forecast for south-western, western and north-western Sydney over the next 15 to 20 years, the needs for green space and natural bushland and the opportunity to save Western Sydney's unique ecological communities and to enjoy some quality of life are more important than ever. There are many challenges ahead to achieve this and I believe it can be achieved if we work together. The establishment of the corridor was an election commitment of all major parties, with the coalition pledge of $15 million being described by a key local environmental group as 'the greatest commitment of all of the parties'. Had the coalition been elected, the corridor would be well advanced towards becoming a reality. I note that since the election there has been silence from Labor and Green candidates on the issue. The coalition, on the other hand, is taking action to help the environment and the people of Western Sydney.

The motion addresses a number of key strategies—establishing a joint state-federal consultative committee to guide the way forward; consultation with the new New South Wales government on the feasibility of a comprehensive audit to identify conservation values for threatened and endangered Cumberland Plain woodlands vegetation and animal species and    on strategies to acquire identified priority conservation sites and private land essential to the viability of the corridor; and of course the establishment of the corridor. I am committed to working with my state and federal colleagues to save some of the last remaining stands of Cumberland Plain woodland and the unique and diverse fauna of Western Sydney in a lasting environmental legacy for future generations.

As the member for Macquarie, an electorate that incorporates the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury, I am honoured to have stewardship over some of this nation's most beautiful and uniquely diverse natural environments. Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of the environment for future generations, which includes taking action to protect, minimise, mitigate or remediate harmful impacts on the environment. Hence the need for this motion. I saw the need to protect Western Sydney's unique natural flora and fauna and I saw the need for people to stay close to nature. This corridor, I believe, will successfully deliver on both those needs. Life is about balance, and through the establishment of the conservation corridor, strategically located in the heart of Western Sydney's urbanisation, we can lock in a place where wildlife can thrive and survive and a place where people can enjoy and learn about natural habitat. They can be part of the solution.

As a young person I grew up at Gladesville in Sydney, surrounded by natural nature reserves. They were my playground, and this is what I want for future generations of Greater Western Sydney. There is an ongoing challenge to identify, protect and save Greater Western Sydney's unique wildlife. My motion today is a result of the coalition's commitment to direct action on the environment, and I encourage the community, my parliamentary colleagues both state and federal and the present and future residents of Greater Western Sydney to support this motion.