- River Guardians Clean Up Australia Day event held today at Matilda Bay, Crawley
Environment Minister Stephen Dawson is getting a head start on Clean Up Australia Day, joining hundreds of Western Australians today as they remove rubbish from the Swan River.
The River Guardians Clean Up Australia event at Matilda Bay is being run today by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA in the lead up to Clean Up Australia Day 2020 on Sunday March 1.
Today's event is an opportunity to make a difference to the health of the Swan-Canning Estuary by removing rubbish and discarded fishing waste before it ends up in the water.
Small groups of volunteers will target the beaches and foreshore areas, while scuba divers from the Underwater Explorers Club of WA will focus on jetties and platforms where fishing line accumulates in the water.
Over the past 30 years, Australians have donated more than 35 million hours of time volunteering to Clean Up Australia Day activities, removing more than 365,000 ute loads of rubbish.
For more information about Clean Up Australia Day 2020, visit https://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au.
Comments attributed to Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
"Clean Up Australia Day is a fantastic reminder for all of us that we need to do our bit to keep our rivers, beaches, parks and local communities clean and free of waste.
"The Swan River is one of our State's greatest assets and I'm proud to see the number of people pitching in to keep the area free of rubbish to protect marine animals and birds.
"The McGowan Government is committed to reducing litter and the introduction of the container deposit scheme this year is another step in the right direction.
"I would like to thank everyone who is already involved, including the 203 new groups that registered in the Keep Australia Beautiful 'Adopt-a-Spot' program in 2019. I encourage all other Western Australians to take some time out of their busy schedules to help keep our State litter free."
