Mr WAKELIN(12.54 p.m.) —It is a pleasure to rise today and talk on the Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Bill. I note that some previous speakers have raised their concern about mining. There has been a trend in this country over recent decades to denigrate the mining industry. My reality of the mining industry is that it has never done it better. If you look at the practices of companies like Western Mining, which operates the Olympic Dam mine in my own electorate of Grey, you can look forward with great confidence not only to the economic rewards of the mining industry but also to the progress that is made on general environmental issues.

I noted that the member for Cowan (Mr Richard Evans) had some comments to make about the feral cats. He might be interested to know that there has been a very concerted effort to eradicate feral cats on the land inside the mining area of Olympic Dam. The work the environmental people are doing there is quite remarkable. I have particular pleasure in acknowledging the great progress the mining companies of Australia are making.

Another group of people I would like to salute today is the group I call the forgotten people. If you watch the 6 o'clock news most nights, you will see a fairly regular appearance of politicians or lobby group representatives, but you will very rarely see the person that has devoted their whole life to, say, soil conservation or revegetation. It is a great loss in this country that we do not see a greater focus on those people who devoted very much of their lives to conservation, well before it was fashionable. Today I would particularly like to recognise those people who have contributed—those people in soil conservation areas, on soil conservation boards and in the pastoral areas. The local townspeople have devoted many hours of their time in a voluntary way to protecting our natural heritage.

When the coalition announced its environment package prior to the March election, it was hailed as one of the biggest spending environmental packages in history and environmental groups applauded our ambitious acknowledgment of the importance of the environment. Today, that commitment to the environment still stands, despite the rhetoric of our opponents and some within the media. The coalition government remains committed to allocating historic levels of funding to the environment and seeks only the support of the other parties to make the means possible.

I note that the amendment moved by the member for Fremantle (Dr Lawrence) said that we would pluck that $1 billion from consolidated revenue. That, in one sentence, sums up the economic discipline of our opponents. I guess we as Australians should not be surprised that we run into the budget deficit problems we have when we see this sort of amendment, which simply says, `We will pluck $1 billion from consolidated revenue, just like that.' But the party that sold the Commonwealth Bank and Qantas has now decided that selling one-third of Telstra and devoting millions to the environment is not on.

There are many parts of the Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Bill which will benefit the electorate of Grey and other regional and rural electorates. The landcare package will be particularly welcome. The Natural Heritage Trust will allocate $279 million in additional environmental funding for landcare and farm forestry and $32 million for the national land and water resources audit, the national weed strategy and the national feral animal control strategy.

While I am on the subject of feral animals, the release of the calicivirus to combat our huge rabbit problem is particularly noteworthy. It is to be hoped that that will enhance the environment of this country in a reasonably profound way. It is a small beginning on the curse of the rabbit. With a recognition that there will need to be a fairly vigilant and strong follow-up to the advantage that the calicivirus will give us, it is nevertheless very welcome. Some people in my electorate, such as the Friends of the Whyalla Conservation Park, have contacted me about the rabbit problem in the past. They will be pleased to see the release of the calicivirus finally getting the go-ahead.

Back to the landcare funding to be contained within the Natural Heritage Trust. The $279 million landcare program will help with the development on community based and managed projects, on both public and private land. Consultation with the community is essential for these types of projects to be successful, and I am pleased to see that within the bill. Australia still relies strongly on its farming community, and it is important that we take steps in our environmental program to help protect and sustain our farming lands.

With this bill, the coalition government will take practical action to protect and conserve the environment and achieve sustainable agricultural production. Of course, these parts of the Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Bill which I have mentioned above are only some of the environmental areas we intend to tackle and devote resources to. We have, as the previous speaker, the honourable member for Corangamite (Mr McArthur) has acknowledged, the national vegetation initiative, the Murray-Darling 2001 project—it is pleasing to see strong commitments from the states, particularly from Premier Brown of South Australia—the national reserve system and the coast and clean seas initiative.

Together with the national land and water resources audit, these five capital projects are a part of an overall $1.5 billion in spending over five years. I am particularly pleased to see the coalition government commit environment funding to Grey again this year, despite the difficulties in the Senate. Just last month more than $60,000 in environment grants were allocated to around 20 groups in Grey, under the save the bush and one billion tree programs.

Among the groups to receive funding was the Petherton Road Tree Plants of Mount Bryan. The group's coordinator, Mrs Rosemary Quinn, wrote to me last week after hearing of their successful grant application.

Mr Andrew —A former constituent.

Mr WAKELIN —The member for Wakefield would know Mrs Quinn. She wrote:

There have been excellent rains and much weed germination so the grant will enable us to buy the spray necessary to eliminate them and erect the fencing required. The road and creeks in the vicinity of the Old Petherton Estate will benefit by the replacement of new trees and by the fencing of existing native vegetation . . . We are pleased to be selected to receive this funding.

I am sure the other groups that have received funding will also be similarly pleased with their grants. I commend the volunteers who devote their time and energy to these groups to help restore and maintain our environment. They are playing a vital role in our community.

I am particularly proud of the coalition commitment to the environment, and this historic initiative which we are working to implement. I urge the opposition and minority parties to pass the Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Bill and to allow the coalition to fulfil the mandate it was given in March, which most certainly included many thousands of Australians who voted for this commendable environmental package.

In conclusion, there is much talk in this place of lofty ideals and strong rhetoric but I cannot help but believe that the Democrats, the ALP and the Greens, particularly, believe that they have a monopoly on environmental issues: how dare the coalition have the audacity to offer a package which may address many of our outstanding environmental issues. How dare the coalition offer a package which may solve some of these outstanding and longstanding issues. That is at the heart of the refusal of the Senate to pass this legislation.

It is not about the privatisation debate—that is easily dealt with under the Qantas and the Commonwealth Bank principle—it is much more about our political opponents not allowing us the opportunity to be seen to do something positive in the environment. It is a purely selfish, political means, and I am quite dismayed by their whole approach. They believe they have the monopoly; they believe they are the only people that can solve the environmental issues of Australia. It is purely political selfishness which restricts us and will not allow us to get on with the program the people elected us to do in March 1996.