SPEECH AT GREEN CORP LAUNCH-MNT ISA

_{04 July, 2007}

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Well thanks very much Steve Ruemens from Isa Schools Job Futures and congratulations to the eleven guys who are forming part of this very special Green Corp Team.

Can I also recognise Mayor Ron McCulloch and thank him for the involvement of the Mount Isa City Council in this project. It is good to see the State Member for Mount Isa, Betty Kiernan, and thanks you to Isabel Holt from the Kalkadoon community for not only being with us, but  welcoming all of us to Kalkadoon country.

This project at the Bill Macdonald Park will lead to the improving of bio-diversity in this area by reducing salinity, protecting vegetation, improving community infrastructure and giving access to sections of Leichhardt River, via this creek.

The eleven Green Corp team members will, over the next 26 weeks, implement salinity control strategies, improve the remanent vegetation and eradicate weeds. I have to say weeds costs Australia some $4 billion annually, so it is important that we do that. They will also replant native vegetation, complete walking tracks along the creek – including a bikeway and rest facilities - and in doing all that, they will provide improved access to the river.

The team will be working in collaboration with the local Kalkadoon people and will be hearing some of their stories and learning more about their heritage.

The Australian Government is very proud of the Green Corp teams. These 17-20 year olds demonstrate commitment to preserving and restoring Australia’s environment and heritage. The programme also helps the development of these young people and assists in community capacity building,

I want to emphasise that all of these team members are indeed volunteers and have come to this project either whilst looking for work, or from study or from, in some cases, other employment.

An important part of the Green Corp projects is that a large number of participants Australia wide over the last 10 years have, within 3 months of completing their Green Corps work, found permanent, worthwhile and rewarding employment. Certainly employers take note of any involvement in Green Corp.

The Government continues to fund the Green Corp projects and the results have been obvious. Since 1997:

 14 million trees have been planted
 8 thousand kms of fencing have been constructed
 50 sq kms of weeds have been removed
 9,500 kg of seeds have been collected
 5000 kms of walking track have been laid
 Some 500 sites have been mapped for identifying Australian flora and fauna

Those Australia wide results will be duplicated here with the re-establishment of native vegetation, the eradication of weeds, the installation of bore tanks and irrigation systems and undertaking the access projects of which I spoke of earlier. The team will also be involved in better understanding of the history of this park and its association with the Kalkadoon people.

This project will let other citizens of Mount Isa know of the good work that young people are doing, and indeed of the ability to access this area.

All of these Green Corp projects do involve community partners and I particularly want to recognise the skills and expertise of Isa School Jobs Future, and I also want to acknowledge the important contribution that Southern Gulf Catchment Management Authority makes. That is a partner agency and does very good work across the north- west, and indeed right throughout the Gulf catchment in supporting natural resource management in the area.

Over the next 26 weeks these eleven young people will get 134 hours of quality accredited training, they will get career counselling and, of course, they will get paid while they are doing this work.

I am sure you guys will find that at the end of 26 weeks, you will be different people and you will have much greater confidence to face the future.

Not only does this work help those involved by giving training and allowing them to learn new skills, but it is also a considerable help to our very unique natural environment in this part of Australia.

Again, my very great thanks to those partner agencies, particularly Isa Schools, to the Kalkadoon people and, most importantly, to the eleven young guys involved in this project.

I want to thank you for I know what you will do and I wish you all the best for your time with Green Corp.

And with that, I officially declare the project open.

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