Thursday, 17 August 2023

National Tree Day

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Industry and Innovation, Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty, Minister for Employment, Minister for Public Transport) (09:57): On Sunday 30 July I had the pleasure of joining the mayor Cr Pierce Tyson, Moonee Valley City Council, as well as Friends of Steele Creek and Lincolnville community kindergarten as it was National Tree Day celebrations at Rosehill Park, East Keilor. The day began with a moving ceremony to country led by Uncle Dave Wandin, and then over 300 community members began planting manna gums, eucalyptus trees native to our area, which are culturally significant the Wurundjeri people but also very significant to the people of Melbourne’s north-west.

Why is National Tree Day so important? Well, particularly for Melbourne’s western suburbs, we have around 20 per cent less tree canopy than the eastern suburbs, and as a result the western suburbs experience far higher temperatures that cause greater instances of heat-related illness for humans and deterioration of the rich biodiversity of our environment. That is why in 2018, under the leadership of the minister next to me, Minister D’Ambrosio, then environment minister, the Andrews Labor government introduced the More Trees for a Cooler Greener West program, which has now planted half of its targeted 500,000 trees in Melbourne’s west. This is making a real difference to the lives of our local community and the amenity. Since 1996, National Tree Day has become Australia’s largest community tree-planting and nature care event with some 300,000 people taking part. Fifteen thousand trees were planted across Melbourne’s western suburbs for National Tree Day as part of the More Trees for a Cooler Greener West initiative. To be part of that with our local community was very significant.