It is no secret the Gilmore electorate is home to natural wonders.
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Many of us have admired the rolling hills of Kiama, Drawing Room Rocks near Berry, the Shoalhaven River on a windless day, Honeymoon Bay and the grandeur of Pigeon House Mountain.
READ MORE: 12 hidden spots just a short trek from Nowra
A newly-released poll (results are below) has confirmed the environment matters to most local constituents.
However, only 51 per cent of 900 Gilmore voters polled said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate with strong environment commitments.
"National parks are integral to what makes the South Coast such an attractive place to live and visit, and clearly Gilmore voters recognise that," Jervis Bay Regional Alliance president Oisín Sweeney said.
"But there's much more to do to preserve our spectacular environment, like protecting Lake Wollumboola and forests that are constantly under threat from development and logging. We challenge all Gilmore candidates to publicly commit to reinstate federal funding, cut by Tony Abbott, to help the state government take the next steps in growing the national parks network."
South East Region Conservation Alliance spokeswoman Harriett Swift welcomed public support for the protection of native forests.
"Gone are the days when people accepted the destruction of forests as a necessary regional industry," she said.
"Forests are now seen by a strong majority as an asset to be valued and protected for the benefit of the whole community. Unfortunately, neither Liberal nor Labor parties are as progressive on this front as the Gilmore electorate."
The Wilderness Society's National Campaigns Director Lyndon Schneiders said the support in Gilmore for new laws and institutions to better protect the environment was encouraging.
"It's blindingly obvious that our laws and institutions are failing the environment, and therefore failing communities by facilitating the destruction of our natural heritage," he said.
"It's time for environmental governance to be taken to a new level with the laws, agencies and budgets required to do the job properly."
The poll was conducted via a phone interview and targeted less than 900 Gilmore voters on March 12-13.
The poll was commissioned by the Jervis Bay Regional Alliance, the Shoalhaven branch of the Australian Conservation Foundation, The Wilderness Society, Bomaderry Landcare, Coastwatchers and South Eastern Region Conservation Alliance.
POLL RESULTS
- 88 per cent are 'concerned about environmental degradation' across Australia
- 73 per cent support creation of a 'new Federal Environment Protection Authority with strong powers'
- 51 per cent are more likely to vote for a candidate with strong environment commitments
- 82 per cent support 'government investment in creating and managing national parks'
- 74 per cent support protection of forests for wildlife, water, climate mitigation and recreation as 'best use of forests' compared to 19 per cent in support of logging
- 60 per cent support ending native forest logging and 'using public funds to assist retraining and redeploying timber workers'
- 53 per cent support renewables and storage to supply our energy needs, compared to 24 per cent who support coal