Amanda Stoker, the state MP for Oodgeroo, responded recently to hundreds of people who joined Redlands2030 in opposing the State Government giving Ormiston College a ministerial infrastructure designation to facilitate expansion plans which would include destruction of koala habitat.
Firstly, we applaud Amanda Stoker for communicating with the many people who have concerns about this issue.
But we think what she said deserves a response. So here’s Redlands2030’s response to the email sent by Amanda Stoker MP.
Redlands2030’s response to email sent by Amanda Stoker MP
| What Amanda Stoker said | Redlands2030’s response |
| I am informed that the Ormiston College expansion has been planned for a long time and the school has been consulting with the community over the long term about the matter. | Ormiston College did minimal consultation with close neighbours in 2023. Back in 2021, Redland City Council advised Ormiston College that its proposal was prohibited development as the site was situated in a Koala priority zone and habitat area under State Planning Regulations. |
| I am also informed that the proposal has been examined by independent ecologists who have determined that the proposal, which is actually scaled back considerably as compared to its original form, has an appropriate and modest environmental impact. | The report by ecologists hired by Ormiston College is deficient and should not be relied upon as a basis for decision making. It underestimates the importance of this area for Redland City’s koala population and uses an inappropriate method of assessing koalas’ usage of the site. |
| I am further informed that the school will plant 9 times the number of koala fodder trees as will need to be removed as part of the project. That’s a reflection of their desire to ensure that the higher amount of food that is supplied by advanced trees is adequately compensated. | Any new replacement trees will not be ready for koalas to feed on until about 2040. If koala habitat is reduced at the rate currently proposed in the Redlands, they may be locally extinct by this time. Did you know that Queensland Koalas were declared to be endangered in February 2022 by the then Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley? |
| The school has an important role to play in the social and economic fabric of the Redlands. Without high-performing schools like this one delivering an offering that is competitive with inner-city schools, the Redlands will not be able to attract and retain the families it needs to deal with equally pressing matters, like its skills shortage. | Redlands doesn’t seem to have any problem attracting families. Ormiston College is already well endowed with facilities whereas inner-city schools must manage with quite small areas for play and sports. If Ormiston College did sensible planning and genuine community engagement, they should be able to achieve some expansion and continue being an attractive option for well-off families. |
| None of this is to say that koalas are not important; they absolutely are. However, I accept the view of the experts that this project does not have an unacceptable impact on the local koala population. Furthermore, this government has made important investments in local wildlife, such as the facility funded for the RSPCA at Indigiscapes, that show our commitment to it. | Glad to hear that you say koalas are important. So are the 650 koala habitat trees Ormiston College wants to remove. If koala habitat isn’t retained then there won’t be much need for a wildlife hospital. You should do more reading and hear what experts who DON’T work for Ormiston College have to say about the importance of retaining this koala habitat. |
| Importantly, given that there will be some who are concerned that I may face a conflict of interest in relation to this proposal, I would like to make clear that I have not had a decision-making function in relation to it. The matter was dealt with by the Deputy Premier on the advice of the experts, and while it was not my decision, I think it is the right one. | We understand that you may have a personal interest in Ormiston College getting lots of nice new facilities. But as the MP for Oodgeroo, you should be putting your personal interests to one side and advocating on the community’s behalf to the Deputy Premier that Ormiston College’s expansion plans should be blocked unless and until they are scaled back to avoid koala habitat destruction. |
If you have anything to say to Amanda Stoker, her email address is Oodgeroo@parliament.qld.gov.au
Too much Koala habitat and green spaces has been built on already. They need to redevelop what footprint they have and not expand.
Well thank you Amanda for your reply to the decreasing population of the Koalas in Ormiston. I’m sure voters might have had different view of your responsibility’s when you side with business over the voters.
Could some body inform us of the Independent Environmental company who did this study which was paid for by the College which in my mind would not be independent.
Maybe a second independent survey by another Environmental Company paid by public subscription or the Koala loving Council would provide a slightly different report.
Yes Amanda, of course this reply of yours maybe your personal opinion but maybe you should be taking a look at the bigger picture. The next election.
Well known in Redlands is that we have endured seeing rampant development destroy koala habitat over the years listening to promises of planting new trees in an adjacent site. One developer in hurry to start building in row of koala food trees (locals petitioned Council to purchase with environmental levy) in Keith St area in Capalaba, he didn’t take the time to remove koalas before bulldozing trees to the ground. Koalas are not valued by a developer-driven local government when you see a specially protected wetland site under Koala Coast Policy, never to be built on, destroyed by corrupt practices. Made appointment with then Env Min Labor’s Rod Welford who passed me onto an advisor I later saw in Courier Mail as being a courier driver from the Sunshine Coast. Ex Cr John Burns (father of Deputy Mayor Julie Talty) clinched the deal for commercial developer to acquire the land by first, cutting down habitat trees, taking weeks to drain and fill the wetland site, using creek bank to store imported fill, closing off area to locals using the pathway to Capalaba Central. Area was transformed from a happy place into one for social misfits, with towering concrete walls covered in graffiti, and by opening it up to Central area shoppers were mugged returning with goods, resulting in many families who raised families here, moving on to safer places to live. Koalas now extinct on a once lovely corridor and walkway for local residents along Crotona Rd creek bank who still talk about visits from koalas and how they are missed.
650 trees to be removed!! I am more than appalled! Horrified is mild too!
As a retired real estate agent (not in this area), I saw property developers totally defy council and mow down the koala habitat. There was an outcry and they received fines but they did this over and over.
By the way, the major clearings were done DURING HOLIDAY TIMES eg CHRISTMAS when council staff were away!
We can’t let this happen here! There needs to be a jail term involved in this sort of situation! And to think that it’s an education facility! I’ll bet they are telling the kids all about being “green” and they do this! Well I think all this climate change stuff is rubbish, quite frankly but how do they justify their own backflip on protecting our koalas in front of children! Is that why we have so many lying politicians??
Yes I have seen all your points happen during my life and it disgusts me. Developers don’t care it’s all about the $ the attain in the end and the weak fines don’t matter as they can afford it and the destruction is fine.
Council needs to step up snd stop bowing down yo every developers request.
Take control RCC of what is supposed to be your area and your constituents.
Please give the koalas a break, think about how valuable they are, they been wiped out most places for development. Make a difference with a priority for small amount of koalas left.
We know that koalas do not vote but for those politicians and money minded councillors who are so easily twisted by developers keep in mind that the koalas not only deserve to live in their natural environments, but they also attract tourists to the area. The Redlands still has wildlife, including koalas, that are not seen in other areas so we need to protect them. As for the stilted thinking of the Head of Ormiston College and the wishes of Amanda Stoker, both should be ashamed. I will not be voting for Amanda Stoker at the next election.
And so it continues….the koala is nearing extinction. We moved to the Redlands in 1981 from the UK and were delighted to see and hear them. Healthy mothers and joeys and of course the boisterous noise of the males’ mating call.
Development was starting. Before long already cleared land was not enough and trees were felled for houses to be built at an amazing rate.
We started seeing in the local paper how many koalas were being killed by cars and family dogs as they moved across their ever decreasing territory. During this period the trails connecting their habitat disappeared and developers in general made a lot of money with little thought to paying for huge scale land forestation to keep the animals safe
The groups calling for protection for the koalas were ignored as were the many residents who were so angry every time the koalas’ plight was brought to the public’s attention. Disease spread though colonies, exacerbated by stress. Consultation with the public has always been inadequate and protestations ignored.
I regret that ongoing development in the known koala habitats ( such as Ormiston College) will see the end of our native koalas here in the Redlands. It is happening around us, quietly and permanently.
It is tragic for the animals and for future generations who will only see those that survive, in captivity.
I am writing to express my serious concern as a Redlands resident. It has come to my attention that Orimston has received approval from the State government to remove over 650 trees designated as koala habitats.
Such actions are unethical, as the deliberate destruction of these trees impacts the local wildlife, koalas and other animals homeless and significantly endangering their lives, health, and safety, potentially leading to death.
Furthermore, scholarly studies indicates that green spaces are essential for children’s development, and the absence of such spaces has detrimental effects on mental health, including increased rates of anxiety, depression, behavioural issues, and asthma. These health problems can persist into adulthood, resulting in more severe comorbidities and higher mortality rates. This destruction not only affects the wildlife but also the entire community.