Lord Howe Island’s (LHI) natural environment is booming following the successful completion of one of the world’s largest rodent eradication programs.
In just over eighteen months the $15.5 million program has all but wiped out an estimated 300,000 plus rodents and other feral pests giving the island’s native plants and animals a fighting chance at revival.
More than 750km of new and upgraded walking tracks, 33 campground upgrades and 61 new and improved picnic areas are set to be delivered, as part of a record investment in community infrastructure in NSW national parks.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW Government is investing $257 million to deliver 170 new and improved community infrastructure projects across the national parks estate.
The NSW Government has announced the Wollemi Pines, in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, will be the first site in the State to be declared an Asset of Intergenerational Significance.
The declaration is a legally recognised mechanism to bolster existing measures that protect the species for future generations.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the historic declaration recognises the extraordinary global significance of the Wollemi Pines, with some of the adult trees estimated to be up to a thousand years old.
The NSW Government has released the final report of a Spring 2020 survey showing just over 14,000 wild horses call the Kosciuszko National Park home.
Environment Minister Matt Kean has welcomed the new data saying the results reinforced the need to manage the horse population through approaches including passive trapping and re-homing.
“I remain 100% committed to managing the very sensitive areas of the iconic Kosciuszko National Park on the basis of the best available science,” Mr Kean said.
The NSW Government is continuing to support councils and public land managers in parts of the State ravaged by last summer’s bushfires, providing a further $95 million of new funding to help manage waste from the ongoing clean-up.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the funding will provide a much-needed boost for cleaning up public land, provide valuable jobs for the regions and assist local recovery.
“Nothing is more important than a stronger and safer NSW which is why we are committed to assisting regional communities as we make our way forward,” Mr Barilaro said.
Today I joined Gladys Berejiklian and Adam Marshall to hand back more than 15,000 hectares of land in the State’s central west to Aboriginal owners, which will be reserved to form the new Mt Grenfell National Park and Mt Grenfell State Conservation Area.
For more than a decade, Australian politics has been ravaged by the climate wars, dividing the country between those focused on the economy and those focused on addressing climate change.
But two things have changed since the climate wars began.
The brand new paediatrics unit at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital is open for business with staff thrilled to be in their new home.
Paediatrics is the second department to open in the brand new 6 storey clinical services building. The centrepiece of the $265 million Stage two redevelopment of the hospital.
Member for Hornsby Matt Kean and Member for Ku-ring-gai Alister Henskens SC took a tour of the new department which includes additional beds for patients and a better play area for younger children and a recreation room with study area for older children.
SOLAR POWER | Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital has gone solar now boasting one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) system on a healthcare facility in NSW.
The green initiative is part of a statewide solar program which was launched by Minister for Environment and local Member of Parliament (Hornsby), Matt Kean, and Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard in January.
As the has a large roof space and relatively new buildings, the campus was selected to be one of the first hospitals in the state to have solar energy, with an estimated combined size of 865 kilowatts (kW).
More than 270,000 hectares has been added to the NSW national park estate, smashing the State’s target to increase the footprint by 200,000 hectares by 2021.
Environment Minister Matt Kean said the new additions – totaling 202,669 hectares – are the largest increase to national parks in a single day since 2005.
“Permanently reserving national parks is the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation in NSW,” Mr Kean said.
After being elected as Member for Hornsby in March 2011, I have embarked on many initiatives that the community and I see as pivotal issues for Hornsby. I see and understand the needs of the community and am proud to play my part.
