A GROUP of young people will be paid to rehabilitate a stretch of Ross Creek behind the Donald Simpson Leisure Centre in Cleveland under a Liberal-National Federal Government.
LNP Member for Bowman Andrew Laming said the project would be the first one approved in the Redlands under the Green Army scheme, which forms part of the coalition's climate change policy.
He inspected the site on Friday with Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change, South Australian Senator Simon Birmingham.
"The Green Army will employ 15,000 young people in 6000 projects across the country as part of a $400 million commitment over three years," Senator Birmingham said.
"It will partner young people looking for work with either local environment volunteer groups or local councils in need of people power and funding.
"All projects will need to submit a costing plan for up to $125,000 per project, which will include pay for Green Army recruits, pay for supervisors in the existing community group to oversee the project, and funding for any additional materials needed for the project."
But despite being the only Redlands project so far approved for the program, the Ross Creek project has not submitted a costing or project plan.
The park is on Redland City Council land, but Redland City councillor Craig Ogilvie said it was not part of the council's current Healthy Waterways Extension Program, which aims to improve the health of Redland's waterways.
"We welcome any investment in this valuable community space, the more money we can source for these sorts of projects the less ratepayer money we have to spend and the happier I get," he said.
Manager of the Donald Simpson Leisure Centre Ernie Harrison said he would like to see better access from the centre across the creek to the park, and that there were many keen gardeners at the centre who would love to be involved.
Mr Laming said the opposition's proposed Green Army was "bigger and better" than the Queensland Government's existing Green Army, which also pays local jobseekers to work on environmental projects.
"This project offers young people pay of between $300 and $500 a week, higher than being on the dole, which shows them it's better to be in work than doing nothing, and it looks great on a resume," he said.
Mr Laming said up to 50 Green Army projects would be funded in the Redlands and others were being assessed, including on North Stradbroke Island and for wetlands areas like Black Swamp in Cleveland and in Birkdale.
The State Government's existing Green Army
THE Opposition’s proposed Green Army would run separately to the existing Queensland Government’s Green Army.
State Labor MP for Capalaba Michael Choi said the State’s army initiative had most recently employed 12 people as part of a $227,960 rehabilitation of Eprapah Creek in Victoria Point.
The State army also provides TAFE training.
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