Page 3747 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 23 November 2022

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they were celebrating the fact that fetes are back, that spring is here—sort of!—
and that life is pretty good in the valley. It was the most amazing evening on the Friday and day on the Saturday. Actually, I came face to face with quite a number of people whom I have doorknocked in recent times, which is always pretty cool. So, to the St Clare of Assisi community: that was awesome.

You have all done very well. It is impossible for me to separate those two fetes on an excellence level. I feel bad that I have not made it to all fetes in the valley, but I had to make mention of those two. Well done.

Volunteers—ACT Volunteer Awards

MS VASSAROTTI (Kurrajong—Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage, Minister for Homelessness and Housing Services and Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction) (5.44): I rise today to recognise a number of incredible environmental volunteers who were recognised recently by the Conservation Council of the ACT Region at the 2022 Environment Awards ceremony that coincided with the Conservation Council’s spring mingle.

I was so pleased to participate in this event, the first one held in person after a couple of years of COVID impacts. It was a real honour to be able to present two of these awards. Given the contributions of our environmental volunteers I was very pleased not to be on the judging panel but rather just to cheer for those who were recognised through the awards.

The ACT Environment Awards celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of environmentalists and environment groups, and the contributions they have made to the environment in the ACT and beyond. They include the Young Environmentalist of the Year, the Conservation Council Member of the Year and the Environmentalist of the Year.

The Young Environmentalist of the Year is awarded to an environmentalist 28 years of age or under. This annual award is in memory of Moira and John Rowland, who were lifelong committed environmentalists and played a leading role in establishing the Canberra Environment Centre and the Conservation Council. The Moira and John Rowland Young Environmentalist Award recognises young achievers who are committed to improving our environment. This year this was awarded to Annika Reynolds, the founder and CEO of GreenLaw. They received this award in recognition of their efforts as a legal advocate and a young leader in the Australian environmental movement, particularly through their work in founding GreenLaw, Australia’s only youth-led legal think tank,

The Conservation Council Member Group of the Year aims to recognise a member group which has made an outstanding contribution to protecting and being a voice for our environment. This year, this was awarded to the Invasive Species Council. This group has done important work in highlighting the importance of responding to the impact of invasive species on our biodiversity and ecosystems. They were recognised for their outstanding contribution to protecting and being a voice for the environment, particularly through their extensive work on their Reclaim Kosci campaign in 2022.


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