LIBERAL AND NATIONALS GOVERNMENT INVESTING $200 MILLION FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT

9/5/2019

LIBERAL AND NATIONALS GOVERNMENT INVESTING $200 MILLION FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT

Wide Bay’s pristine natural environment will be protected with the Liberal and Nationals Government announcing over $200 million nationally to increase recycling and reduce waste, protect Australia’s unique threatened species and restore our coasts and waterways, Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien said today.

Mr O’Brien welcomed the move to support practical and meaningful environmental actions, which includes investing $167 million to increase Australia’s recycling rate, tackle plastic waste and litter, and halve food waste by 2030.
 
Threatened species will be protected through the Liberal and Nationals $10 million program to establish feral predator-free safe havens, $6 million to recover koala populations in south-east Queensland, and $6 million to protect other important species like Black Cockatoos and Eastern Quolls.
 
“Wide Bay’s natural environment is one of its key assets – it makes the region a great place to live, a vital part of Australia’s food bowl, and also provides a key economic driver with tourists seeking our incredible flora and fauna,” Mr O’Brien said.
 
“A strong economy and a healthy environment go hand-in-hand, and we’re investing in protecting and restoring Australia’s unique environment, including here in Wide Bay.
 
“By partnering with organisations like Clean Up Australia, Planet Ark and OzHarvest we are taking practical action and encouraging people to care for our local environment and endangered species in Wide Bay.
 
“We will also provide $150 000 for community-led projects to improve the local environment in Wide Bay as part of our commitment to practical action on the environment.”
 
Mr O’Brien said the new investment built on a strong track record for Wide Bay, which included $725,000 through phase two of the National Landcare Program to conserve Fraser Island’s World Heritage values, and a $317,580 boost for revegetation projects that meant more than 66,400 trees will be planted in Wide bay by 2020.

“A strong economy makes this commitment to environmental action possible,” he said.
 
These important investments complement the strong and responsible action the Liberal and Nationals Government is taking on climate change through our $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Plan, record funding for the Great Barrier Reef, and $1 billion for Landcare.

ENDS