Phillip Island and the Bass Coast will be the focus of one of the first Green Army projects in Australia under the Coalition’s Green Army plan.
If a Coalition Government is elected, work will begin next year on the Phillip Island & Bass Coast Green Army Project.
The project will have four main areas of focus:
• The re-establishment of penguin habitat at Summerland Peninsula on Phillip Island
• The Creation and preservation of koala and shearwater habitats on Phillip Island
• Remnant vegetation conservation across the Bass Hills
• Mangrove rehabilitation and foreshore revegetation at Grantville, Corinella and Coronet Bay
The Green Army comprises teams of ten young environmental trainees who will work on local community-based environmental projects across Australia for six-month periods as part of a new Coalition program.
This highly effective program will offer our young people significant training and practical experience in the vital area of environmental management.
On the Summerland Peninsula, the Green Army will work to re-establish crucial penguin habitat, including weed control, revegetation, nesting box construction and vermin control.
The project will help restore an area that was wrongly subdivided for residential use. As well as enhancing landscape values and protecting important penguin habitat, the project will also help bolster Phillip Island’s tourist industry.
At Surf Beach, work will be undertaken to protect shearwater rookeries from the impact of visitors. Conservation of koala habitats across Phillip Island will also be prioritised.
In the Bass Hills, the Green Army will work to conserve and expand remnant indigenous vegetation with the aim of creating greater areas of habitat for native wildlife.
Along the Western Port foreshore at Grantville, Corinella and Coronet Bay, work will be undertaken to tackle coastal erosion, including revegetation and mangrove planting.
The Phillip Island & Bass Coast Green Army Project will be carried out in consultation and conjunction with the Bass Coast Landcare Network, Phillip Island Nature Park, Bass Coast Shire Council and local community groups.
This project will enhance the landscape and environmental values of Phillip Island and the Bass Coast, providing greater amenity for local residents while boosting wildlife habitats.
The project will also offer local young people valuable training and a solid work foundation on which to build a future career.
Trainees will gain wide-ranging experience in conservation and land management practices including:
• Coastal stabilisation
• Pest animal control
• The propagation and planting of native seedlings
• Weed control
• Wildlife conservation
We want to help our local young people improve their environment while gaining vital employment experience.
This program will help local youngsters overcome employment barriers and deliver a positive contribution to the community.
It is about jobs and training for ten young people. It is also about creating an environmental benefit that everyone can enjoy.
Local young people taking part in the project will be provided with a training wage for the duration of the project.
Once established across Australia, the Green Army program will provide a rolling workforce of up to 15,000 trainees dedicated to local environmental projects.
Download the related file: 08-21 Phillip Island & Bass Coast Green Army Project.pdf