Thursday, 18 June 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:03): (1366) My question is for the Minister for Environment. This week we are seeing the government ram through the creation of a new super agency that will cause immense harm to the thing that they claim to love so dearly – the great outdoors, or as some of us prefer to call it, nature. This policy was only announced six months ago, but it is already in the Parliament. Yet environmental and wildlife advocacy groups are fighting to see commitments delivered that were made years ago, terms ago, elections ago. One of these is a project that would protect some of the most carbon-dense forests on earth, Melbourne’s most vital water catchments and the habitat of the critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum. The project I am of course referring to is the great forest national park, which was committed to in 2014 – a commitment the government is denying ever making. Minister, why is the government denying making this commitment?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Environment, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:04): I thank Ms Purcell for her question and her passion in relation to these matters, and I do want to thank Landcare for being here this week in our sitting week. I think it is great to see all the volunteers from across the state, who do amazing work. I think your question about an alleged commitment from some time ago is obviously difficult to address being the new minister in the portfolio. But what I will say is we do have a strong agenda in terms of Victoria’s wildlife and protecting what is so special. I know many of you in this chamber would appreciate that there will be three new national parks later this year, a commitment that has been delivered by our government. But there is always more we can do, and that is about backing in our wildlife and protecting our wildlife with real investments. That is why we will have a new wildlife hospital at Kyabram Fauna Park to support wildlife carers, veterinary outreach and wildlife rescue capability. We are also investing over $800,000 to relaunch Land for Wildlife, supporting habitat and population protection on private land and helping more Victorians play a role in caring for our national environment.

Georgie Purcell: On a point of order, President, I am just seeking to know if the minister is unaware of this commitment. Is it a possibility that I can provide him the correspondence making the commitment and he can take it on notice, instead of the response he just gave then?

The PRESIDENT: No, that is not a point of order, but you might offer that outside the chamber. The minister did respond that when that particular commitment was made it was not his portfolio at the time. The minister can continue, if he pleases.

Enver ERDOGAN: I thank Ms Purcell. Like I said, I think our government is committed to protecting threatened species and supporting wildlife carers and rescuers and national parks. That is why we are going to have three new national parks that will be up and running later this year.

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:06): Minister, I will provide you that correspondence and hopefully your office will respond to me for once. The very same advocates are concerned that the government will backflip on yet another promise, which I note you did not mention then in your apparently strong wildlife record. In 2020 the government committed to modernising our state’s broken wildlife laws. They are now over 50 years old. Despite spending $3 million on an expert panel for advice, which delivered its report at the end of 2021, five years later we are yet to see any legislation come through the Parliament. The Minister for Agriculture, or rather the Premier, has already pulled the 10-year-old commitment to introduce a new animal care and protection act from the legislative agenda this year, condemning farmed and companion animals to continue suffering in our state. Minister, will you be doing the same to our state’s native animals, or will you ensure this vital legislation makes it through the Parliament this term?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Environment, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:07): I thank Ms Purcell for her passion and her interest in this vital legislation, as she puts it. It is legislation that I know is so important to so many in our community, because since taking on the role I have had many representations from Ms Purcell and many others have raised the need for a modernisation of the legislation. We do have a Wildlife Act that does take action on people that do animal cruelty. We know there are a number of recent cases – for example, cruelty on koalas – where there was serious action taken that is proceeding through the courts, through the conservation regulator. In relation to legislation before this chamber, as you can see, we have a very full legislative agenda – jam-packed today with opportunities for Outdoor Recreation Victoria and opportunities to improve our roads. But obviously there will be further legislation. I do not want to pre-empt the debates in this chamber, but we have a very packed legislative agenda, so at the moment it will obviously be a challenge to put that on before the end of the year. But as a government we are committed to modernising all our legislation, and I think wildlife legislation is something that is worth modernising.