Ms TRISH DOYLE (Blue Mountains): I join the member for Summer Hill and the member for Terrigal in speaking about Clean Up Australia Day. Last Sunday I had the pleasure of working alongside the Mid Mountains Branch of the Labor Party as well as many others from my local community who joined us in cleaning up a patch at Plantation Street and surrounds in Wentworth Falls. In doing so, I joined hundreds of thousands of Australians who care about our environment and our quality of life. From Mount Victoria's Berghofers Pass to Summerhayes Park, Winmalee, and beyond, hundreds of Australians, young and old, took time out to help their community and the environment.

I pay tribute to all the volunteers who worked hard to make a difference in my electorate, particularly, and I will mention a few of them: councillors Romola Hollywood and Annette Bennett—Annette worked alongside Di Gates and the Hazelbrook-Lawson Girl Guides at Bulls Camp in Woodford—Tom Colless and the Rotary team, who worked in Katoomba and surrounds; Gundungurra man David King of Hazelbrook, who works to clean up Australia pretty much every weekend and is an inspiration to our community; Andrew Davies from Katoomba High School; and Kindlehill School.

Some of the other wonderful people who stepped in were Rebecca Elliot at Dantes Glen in Lawson, Jim Carothers at the Giant Stairway at Echo Point, Dale Wade-Ferrell at Hawkesbury Lookout at Hawkesbury Heights, and Ann Lindsay at the Hazelbrook town centre. I thank all those people in my electorate. Once we have cleared and sorted the rubbish where does it go? The partnership with our local council cannot be underestimated and I take this opportunity to thank the Blue Mountains council for providing an important service in removing the rubbish. As we all know, rubbish is a source of much environmental pollution on land and at sea. It is not only unsightly; it can also cause injuries, smother plants, start fires, harm and kill animals, and attract pests. Pollution is toxic to our environment.

In the World Heritage area of the Blue Mountains we are keenly aware of the environmental impacts of litter and pollution. The huge amount of plastic bags that we pulled out of the creek in the one area in which I worked was phenomenal and worrying. Clean Up Australia Day is about more than just removing rubbish. It also provides a perfect opportunity to educate and involve our young people; to let them know why our environment is so important. I thank those young people in the Blue Mountains community and around Australia who participated for their efforts in environmental protection.