Well ladies and gentlemen I have come here this morning with my colleague Mal Brough, the member for Longman and the Minister for Family, Indigenous and Community Services to announce that the Glass House Mountains are to become the 32nd listing on the National Heritage List of Australia. And this is a recognition of the extraordinary character of these mountains, first, of course, located by Cook in his historic voyage to the east coast of Australia. They're believed to have been formed some 24 to 27 million years ago and many people have, for a very long time, seen them as having geological qualities which mark them out from other formations of this kind, not only here in Australia, but around the world. And these mountains have been a wonderful attraction for people, it is a wonderful tourist asset for the area, but most importantly, it is a wonderful geological species which deserves the recognition it is now being accorded.
The Glass House Mountains, of course, have been the inspiration for the works of many Australian poets, including Judith Wright and others and they've been the focus of attention and wonder for the whole period of European settlement and, of course, they have special significance for indigenous communities in this area and indigenous peoples generally. And I know that while there may be debate in sections of the indigenous community about the relative importance and role, there is no doubt that the Glass House Mountains are seen by all Australians as one of the great wonders of this country and this sort of recognition is entirely appropriate and I know will be very widely welcomed.
I would like to thank many people, including, but not only, Mr and Mrs Hodge who I have just meet, for the way in which they have campaigned for this listing over a long period of time and I would also like to thank Mal Brough, the local member who lives not too far from here, and I can well understand why, for his energy and commitment to bringing about today's announcement. It is one of the ways in which we recognise our natural wonders as well as, of course, man-made achievements.
So I have very great pleasure in saying, number 32 on that list is the Glass House Mountains and I am sure it is an announcement which will be very widely applauded.
Thank you.
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