The Greens stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of New South Wales, Australia and the world in recognising the need to protect our precious marine parks, national parks, native vegetation and biodiversity on World Environment Day. Read our full statement below.
Ms JENNY LEONG (Newtown) [6.05 p.m.], by leave: I participate in the discussion on World Environment Day, which will be celebrated on 5 June. I acknowledge the member for Heathcote for bringing this matter of public importance to the attention of the House. The Greens stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of New South Wales, Australia and the world in recognising the need to protect our precious marine parks, national parks, native vegetation and biodiversity on World Environment Day. The Greens also acknowledge in this place, across Australia and around the world the need for action on climate change and the need to address the impact it is having on our local and worldwide communities.
It is crucial when we are discussing World Environment Day to recognise the real impacts upon people's lives, our environment and precious places that we all enjoy and appreciate as well as the need for global action. That is why days such as World Environment Day are crucial to recognising the responsibilities we have as global citizens to play our part within the Newtown electorate, within New South Wales and indeed across the planet. It brings home to us the importance of protecting our environment.
Last year, 2014, was New South Wales hottest year on record, yet there is still no holistic response to the manner in which we address dangerous climate change, with the continued extraction of fossil fuels and the classification of wind farms in New South Wales as polluters. We need to take collective action in our approach to dealing with the protection of our environment and addressing dangerous climate change, not as a political point-scoring exercise but as a way in which to examine how we transition New South Wales to an environment in which we protect our natural resources and towards renewable energy. We also need to take that approach when we celebrate World Environment Day. I thank the member for Heathcote for the opportunity to speak in debate on this matter of public importance.
