What action has the Government taken to protect the environment and support jobs in local communities?
Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT: I thank the member for Cessnock for his question and his strong commitment to the environment. Our national parks and reserves protect some of the most beautiful parts of the State. We protect these areas not only for their beauty, but also for future generations, to guard against climate change and to ensure a more sustainable environment. With our national parks and reserves we also can tap into the enormous potential and growing demand for global nature-based tourism. New South Wales Labor has a strong record on parks and reserves, having more than doubled the number of reserves in this State. Many of these reserves are along the coastal strip, but we also recognise the need to increase representation of our reserves in those parts of the State that are poorly represented, particularly western and south-western New South Wales. Last Thursday we saw one such initiative with the opening of the magnificent Yanga National Park in the south-west of the State. The SPEAK
