Native Title, nature based tourism and the election for Bowman

Redland City Council’s “unacceptable” action delaying the Quandamooka native title claim, focusing on nature based tourism and a reflection on the recent Federal election for Bowman are discussed in letters to Redlands2030.

If you have a view on these or any other matters, send your letter to:  theeditor@redlands2030.net

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Council’s unacceptable action on native title claim

I refer to Redland City Bulletin’s page 1 story reporting to us that Redland City Council is holding up Quandamooka native title claims in the Redlands.

In this age of serious reconciliation between Indigenous Australians and the rest of us, where the new government is preparing a referendum to cement a new understanding of aboriginal people’s rights, we have the Redland City Council acting as a killjoy and regressing.

It is retarding further the Quandamooka claim lodged in 2017 which is before the National Native Title Tribunal awaiting determination.

It is simply not believable that Council wants “clarity” of what is and isn’t claimable when that information is readily available in many government places which Council can access.

What Council is doing is disruptive and unacceptable to me and to all progressive Australians who are not wishing to retard native title claims in the Redlands.

I simply cannot understand why Council is doing this? How many other Councils have sought “clarity” and opposed native title claims this way? Why won’t Council say what it’s spending on lawyers’ fees?  

Doesn’t Council understand it’s interfering in a process outside its remit? 

Z.J.
Raby Bay

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Transform Redlands into a tourism destination

Now is the opportunity to transform our Redland City into a tourist destination. People from here and overseas will want to visit, beginning with saving our Redland koalas from extinction. 

Recall our new LNP Federal Member, Henry Pike, on being elected stating that “the koala is more than just an important part of our local environment, it’s our city’s symbol”.

The Courier Mail (on 07-14-2022) states the following, and I quote:

“The unlisted Koala Farmland Fund is paving the way for more koala habitat to be developed and protected in South East Queensland – using part of a $10m purse it secured from investors and lenders last year to buy its first greater Brisbane property.

The sprawling 35.65ha property in Mt Cotton could be used for several biodiversity and carbon offsets but the linchpin is creating protected habitat for koalas given the site joins one of the biggest remaining eucalypt forests in Brisbane’s coastal lowlands – Venman National Park.  Fund will be managed by Chinchilla-based Country Asset Management.  CAM managing director Rob Hart said they were set to take over the Mt Cotton site on July 25″.

Birkdale Community land has heritage values that must be protected such as the WWII Receiving Station built by US Army, with restoration of the Willard Farmhouse surrounds built mid-1800s that could serve country-style refreshments, etc to visitors from far and wide, into an area where most of the land is left in its natural state with bush walking trails, enhancing native flora and fauna.

Cramming commercial activities along with an unwanted Olympic Whitewater Rafting Facility for a future Olympics onto the site must be rejected.  In an area surrounded by a concrete jungle and traffic chaos, the Birkdale land must be protected as a peaceful place where we put ‘nature first’. 

Yet another tourist destination of major importance is Toondah Harbour. 

Ian Mazlin, Greens candidate for Bowman, recently wrote (in the RCB 07-13-2022) and I quote:

“Major parties know most Redlanders do not want to sacrifice the birdlife, koalas and all the magnificent beauty of the Toondah portion of the Moreton Bay Marine Park. We do not have the right to take this from future generations and deprive the Redlands of what could be a significant attraction if adequately managed.  Everyone wants the ferry terminal fixed, but we want the three levels of government to get together and fix it NOW, not at some ill-defined future time.

I defy anyone to stand in G.J. Walter Park, look out towards Cassim Island and think that 3,600 apartments (possibly 60 high-rise towers.) would be a good idea”.

We must begin with no time to lose, working towards making the Redlands a sought after tourist destination by putting… NATURE FIRST.

Amy Glade
Capalaba

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The role of Toondah in the last election

An opinion piece and a letter in the Redland City Bulletin (by Craig Thomson (RCB June 15 and Chris Reeves (June 29) had interesting takes on how the recent federal election reflected on the vexed question of the proposed Toondah Harbour development. 

Firstly, it was a federal election to decide the Prime Minister of Australia, not a referendum on Toondah.

In Bowman, voting was very polarised, with many voters believing that the only way to remove “Scomo” was to vote 1 for Labor.

A slightly larger number of voters in this electorate were desperate to save the Coalition Government.

Secondly, to say that both major parties were publicly in favour of the Toondah proposal was simply not supported. During the campaign, it was a topic that seemed to be avoided at all costs and never mentioned.

Greens polling volunteers were repeatedly berated by the volunteers from both major parties for suggesting that their parties supported the proposal. 

Henry Pike, when pushed, said that he was waiting for the EIS to be released.

Donesha Duff spoke about how she felt strongly about preserving our natural environment and how the Federal Labor party was the only major party of government that had protections for Ramsar declared areas stipulated in their national platform. She added however that the “process” needed to be followed.

In what world does this constitute support?

In fact, Don Brown has been the only candidate in the Redlands who has actively supported this proposal (Andrew Laming showed some support, but wanted to “wait for the science”).

Surveys, such as the one run by the Redland City Bulletin, have shown more than 80% of Redlanders oppose the development in its present form. Even allowing for a high margin of error this is still very significant.

During the pre-poll period and on polling day the vast majority of voters I spoke to were opposed, only a very small number said that they were in favour.

The Greens vote in Bowman did not increase as much as we would have liked, but Craig Thomson comparing Bowman to Bonner and assuming that they are similar is in error. Most of Bonner abuts Griffith where there was a significant swing to the Greens and some of that swing clearly carried over. In his analysis, Chris Reeves stated that the Greens only received 11.8% of the vote in the three booths closest to Toondah Harbour.

What he failed to mention is that this included the Baptist Church pre-poll where more than four times as many people voted compared to the other two booths. It is well known that ‘rusted on’ Liberal voters mainly vote during pre-poll in Bowman.

The other two booths actually had 15% and 19% of Greens voters. We also received a combined vote of 18% from the three Minjerribah booths whose voters use the terminal much more often than most Redlanders.

I believe that the reason the major parties have tried to make Toondah a non-issue is that they know that the majority of Redlanders do not want to sacrifice the birdlife, the koalas and all the magnificent beauty of the Toondah portion of the Moreton Bay Marine Park. We do not have the right to take this from future generations and deprive the Redlands of what could be a major attraction if properly managed. 

The people of the Redlands also know that our roads, public transport and other infrastructure cannot cope with another 8,000 people on Cleveland point to say nothing of the massive disruption and noise caused by 20 years of construction.

Everyone wants the ferry terminal fixed, but we want the three levels of government to get together and fix it now, not at some ill-defined future time.

I defy anyone to stand in G.J. Walter Park, look out towards Cassim Island and think that 3,600 apartments (which could be 60 high-rise towers) would be a good idea.

Ian Mazlin
Candidate for The Greens in Bowman – 2022

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More Letters To Redlands2030

Toondah Benefits The Few But Costs The Many

Pub Test Failure, Council Inefficiency And Nature Protection Laws In Letter

Walk For Toondah, Olympics And Ratepayer’s Lament