Council approval of destruction of koala habitat questioned by residents

Council approved destruction of koala habitat in Shore Street East near Toondah Harbour Photo: Toni Bowler

Concerns raised by residents this week include misuse of poisons, immigration driven population growth, the Toondah Harbour project and Redland City Council failing to protect our environment.

If you have something to say send an email to theeditor@redlands2030

Council stewardship is lacking in Redland City

Trees in Shore Street East were regularly used by the Toondah koalas

This week in a scene reminiscent of the nefarious days of the Joh Bjelke-Petersen era, modern day “Deen Brothers” destroyed significant koala habitat trees on the footpath of Shore Street East in Cleveland.

Abetted by a City authority, a developer, executing a strategy comparable to that employed to reduce the Bellevue Hotel in Brisbane to rubble in 1979, ensured the most important trees were immediately and suddenly destroyed before local residents and concerned environmentalists had time to question his activities.

Arrogant actions of any government or any developer surely do not have any place in a contemporary democratic society.

Has Redland City Council comprehensively displayed a total lack of stewardship in maintaining its own laws and policies, or is it the case it is simply incapable of distinguishing between need and greed?

KR
Alexandra Hills


Toondah Harbour on the nose (again)

Redlands2030 simulation of proposed development at Toondah Harbour

Recently many angry ratepayers attended an anti Toondah Harbour development meeting at GJ Walter park.

Many questions went unanswered due to a lack of information from Redland Council about this project.

The reason I understand is this Council has signed a confidentiality agreement with the developer not to disclose any information.

Ratepayers elect Councillors in good faith to work in the ratepayers best interests.  Secret deals raise suspicion of a deal that favours the developer.

Decisions like this, added to developer donations at election time, Councils almost every decision favouring developers even to approvals that are outside Councils own building code.

Among the many questions, how does a developer acquire access to a huge area of public waterway for personal gain? Is it being brought, if so from whom and how much or is it a magnificent gift?

Do ratepayers realise the enormous size of this development and its potential adverse effect on all ratepayers.  A previous Redlands Mayor said ratepayers contribute up to 60% of a developer’s infrastructure cost.  How many millions of ratepayers dollars will be diverted from ratepayers facilities to subsidise this project?

How disturbing millions of tons of acid sulphate contaminated soil will damage fish habitat, seagrass beds and important nearby Peel Island coral reef.  There are many mangrove trees fronting GJ Walter Park, the State Government prohibits destruction of these trees. Will they mysteriously disappear like our koala trees.

The Toondah project plans for 3,600 units is rising 10 storeys high, obscuring views of the bay and Stradbroke Island.  That many units will equate to 4,000 motor vehicles.  There is limited street exit for this area now, no available Cleveland parking and hundreds more vehicles from Redland Bay Road also wanting railway parking.

Can this Council claim they are working in the best interests of ratepayers?

DD
Cleveland


Population growth is a ponzi scheme

Ponzi schemes are named after Charles Ponzi

Just listened to a Nicki Hutley, supposedly the chief economist with URBIS Consulting who on free to air TV in a delivery about “housing affordability”has stated, Well it’s not just about the inability to afford the purchase of a house, but as much your ability now to be able  to afford  rent”.

She says this is how it is, this is how it must stay, suck it up precious!

Oh thanks for that, what was I thinking, that takes the pressure off, just forget about the house. Of course.

What comes next in the debate,  the affordability of oxygen!!!!!!

If the population ponzie scheme that is causing the problem, based on government and big business sanctioned immigration levels, why can’t it be prosecuted by those most affected and concerned about housing affordability, congestion and planning problem, simply because they are fearful of being seen as “racist” & anti jobs and growth,

The future is doomed.    The problem will continue to get worse as we know.

I don’t see much evidence of traction, by those most affected, do you, but massive inroads made by promo groups like URBIS, UDIA,Prop Counc,HIA,API, Triguboff, KPMG. They are clearly still able to run the governments agenda for themselves.

Those who claim they are genuinely concerned ,need to  grow a set and get serious, tell it like it really is.  Talk the truth about the shocking impact of the big immigration fuelled population ponzi feeding those at the top of the tree, making jobs and growth look good for government and re-election at all levels, devastating the environment, or we are doomed, it’s that simple !!!!

Our problem does not come as a direct result of local mum and dad investors

Big projects just don’t get off the ground without big wealthy immigrant and offshore pre-sales.

Ask the project promoters and builders?

RH
Brisbane


Dangers of Glyphosate…ignored

Glyphosate, marketed by Monasanto as “Roundup’, is an organophosphorus compound used to kill weeds

Several countries have banned use of the cancer causing chemical glyphosate (Roundup). It is used liberally by councils across Australia.

I felt compelled to write about it on seeing children in hospitals dying of cancer.  We use poison, recall seeing a young man in CM after spraying crops on farm taking his shirt off without having undone buttons at wrist, so inhaled the poison that killed him instantly.

A Capalaba resident stopped using it in her yard to kill lawn grubs but on seeing birds take them, turn around as if drunk, then died on the spot, won’t use it ever again.  People tell me to use Roundup on many weeds in my yard, but refuse to use this deadly cancer causing chemical.  Glyphosate according to WHO have found the chemical in ‘breast milk’.  There must be an alternate method of killing weeds in my view.

Families come to this park (original name Little Hyde Park) and sit on the grass, along with dogs….and if they came in contact with the chemical and licked their paws, they would be poisoned.

With school holidays coming soon, one has to be careful on timing, and every effort made to where no person or pet animal comes in contact with it.

Being so dry, I was at park yesterday to straighten out the eucalypt I planted as it wasn’t high enough so wired a piece from a branch so it grows straight, and to water a few of them.  The Acacia wattle is doing nicely now and replaced a plant that perished with a grevillea different to the others so hope it survives my care.

I tried digging out some of the awful weeds, don’t know name, but wide round flat ones easy to remove, but impossible due to them being everywhere.  We all have them in our yards too I think.

Over to you all

AG
Capalaba

 Letters published by Redlands2030 – 10 September 2017

3 Comments

N Deacon, Sep 13, 2017

Billion dollar projects can be actioned via practiced Constitutional provisions to provide essential infrastructure within 2 weeks. Billion dollar projects have also been funded via Social Enterprise funding, but Redlands continues to disdain that resource, and exclusively favours private and foreign development interests. Why surrender national assets, and accept unnecessary threats, unlimited liabilities and debts without a return-on-investment, when we don’t have any need to?
Why surrender profitable revenue producing natural resources, assets and developments to foreign and private interests instead of securing these for the Australian public to enjoy as a whole instead? How does any of this make sense?

Why are we selling out to foreign interests and surrendering essential utility assets (e.g. Port facilities, Water utilities, arable land and Abattoirs) and risking and surrendering internationally protected, critical economic and environmentally significant assets? No debt and low debt solutions are abandoned to favour deals with companies with repeat environmental violation records (e.g. Adani), and or black-listings (e.g. the integrity and fiscally challenged ASF) by international authority agencies like the World Bank.

National security interests didn’t warrant any consideration with the surrender of our fuel stations to foreign interests. What trade leverage to negotiate, do we have if foreign interests threaten to suspend our fuel supplies and industry operations, once we have provided them with the means to effect exactly that?

National resilience consultants have advised that our fuel supplies on hand might last a mere 2 days – a fact disturbingly emphasized in the wake of Cyclone Debbie. Not a single social enterprise agency was considered, sought after, or awarded preferred supplier status by The Redland Investment Corporation, despite international banks confirming they have half the equity of private sources and represent a significant and qualified source of capital asset funding.

So whats going on. Are these actions more reminiscent of public or private self-interest? Constitutional and social enterprise funding does not facilitate private kick-back arrangements. What does Economist Cameron Murray, author of “Game of Mates” think of these decisions? Are residents happy to continue to remunerate The Redland Investment Corporation well in excess of industry and Fairwork remuneration rates for inferior result, incompetent negotiations that represent “Give-aways” in multi-million dollar Application fee rebates, grossly inflated and undeclared PDA land gifts and bay areas for reclamation never presented for public consultation (as required by The Economic Development Act Sections 50-62), and rate-payer funded road-building on private projects, against multi-Billion dollar development returns, and impact-accessible developments processed as code assessable after unlawful environmental clearances without appropriate penalty?

Does the lack of scrutiny on our local council have anything to do with the level of control artificially orchestrated over telecommunication, essential emergency services and community radio stations in our area, that have attracted international broadcast and police and emergency breach notices, directed to the ACMA Authority, for alleged interference? If it contributed to the 5 hour gridlock recently encountered on the M1 after a truck carrying hydrochloric blew up (despite the fact that Trucks are monitored 24/7), then its a powerful tool with potential to impact extensively across South-East Queensland from the Glass-House Mountains south to Mt Warning. The Redland Community, and the Cleveland CBD and SMBI in particular, have experienced unprecedented broadcast signal and telecommunications interference of late. Is this a case of muscle flexing? Where is evidence of an appropriate investigation? Shouldn’t this constitute a significant threat requiring greater authority and stakeholder scrutiny, instead of less?

Do residents even appreciate the previous Mayors warning, alleging that 60% of development costs will be passed onto the community without their receiving any benefit?

Residents have every right to feel alarmed, demand breach investigations and access to environmental assessments already publicly financed, reference Section 62 of The Economic Development Act to rescind PDA approvals to meet Community consultation legislated obligation and have their concerns addressed comprehensively with integrity. Residents also want to see penalties enforced to prevent the lawlessness on display here. Who on council permitted this, what action and penalty is being enacted in consequence? Where is the accountability to discourage more of the same?

Amy Glade, Sep 12, 2017

Not surprised to see photo of latest clearing of koala habitat in Cleveland. Many of us long time residents know developer who builds all over Redlands, with reputation as a ruthless environmental vandal, quick to destroy koala trees, threaten people, as well as killing quality of life for those locals in the immediate area, with RCC approval, forcing one resident I know of, to remove a tree in owner’s yard or face the consequences.
I was personally forced into fighting for a tree in my own back yard (reason I purchased the property was because I loved the two eucalypts) when new owner behind back fence moved in letting me know she didn’t like trees so after years of harassment, finished up fighting for the bloodwood tree, in QCAT Court Bne City. Knowing how RCC heavyweights hated koala trees, getting rid of them as quickly as possible to please developers with deep pockets, who buy people, felt certain senior QCAT member would side with back neighbour & order downing of the trees that no longer have visits from koalas due to Council policies. To my shock and surprise, senior member, looked directly at my neighbour and said, as I recall… “you do not take down a healthy tree nor forced to cut overhanging branches”. Neighbour can have them removed & returned over the fence as needed.
Well known to Capalaba residents, is the home builder, desperate to own turf farm owned and managed by Dan Holzapfel and sister, situated between Redland Bay Rd and Coolnwynpin Creek, Capalaba. On visit to turf farm Dan informed me he was forced to sell to the greedy ruthless Capalaba builder, when he made a deal with council heads to stop buying Dan’s turf. As a result this greedy grubby builder purchased the farm, developing the site into an industrial centre….where councillor in RSC informed me he was building too close to Coolnwynpin Ck…(today a no go zone from 19 Crotona Rd through to CBD… due to Peter Endacott’s towering concrete walls on the creek bank where the sun can never shine and haven for social misfits).
The Capalaba builder, along with son, hate koalas…from what I have personally seen and have been, by speaking out, on occasion, abused, in writing, by former Birkdale councillor along with then Capalaba councillor, my crime having been expressing my anger over destroying stand of tall majestic koala food trees end Ingham Street, officially listed as habitat, Capalaba, turned into a ghetto by in my view, a greedy grubby wealthy developer who can not, by any means, be ever considered as being an upstanding, Redland City, citizen who leaves in his wake, along with council heavyweights, an unhappy residential community who still, years later, miss what they had….trees where once koalas were seen in them, where mothers knocked on windows to show their offspring, that brought pleasure particularly to the elderly who have little in their lives to brighten their spirits. Politicians have a lot to answer for who caring nothing for liveability of the people they are well paid to represent. Shame on them all.

Big Boy, Sep 11, 2017

Yes to letter from DD, Cleveland:
Toondah PDA + “commercial in confidence” = muzzle!
Does this explain why there seems to be no voice from councillors on Toondah?
Did Council itself make a submission to Josh Frydenburg?
A submission from Council would have to have councillors vote or approval surely?
No voice to all the matters you mention in your letter?
Silence = agreement/ muzzled/you name it….

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