More than five hundred people recently submitted objections to plans for Ormiston College koala habitat destruction to be approved by the State Government through a Ministerial Infrastructure designation.
These objections were made using a template provided by Redlands2030. A significant number of people included in their objection their own stories, thoughts, and comments explaining why they opposed what Ormiston College is doing.
We have extracted a small sample of the extra comments and publish them below.
Email these comments to your State MP and ask them to help protect the Ormiston College koala habitat.
Community comments about Ormiston College koala habitat destruction
“As a parent of former Ormiston College students I am dismayed by their plans to clear surrounding koala habitat trees. One of the reasons we chose the school 10 years ago was because it was surrounded by bush land that was home to koalas. We even saw koalas on the campus on occasion. However in the last 7-8 years the bushland has slowly been replaced with new dwellings. The college, who are educating our children, should be advocating to help retain the koala habitat zone instead of choosing to remove it”.
“As a past parent of Ormiston College, I am horrified that the College Council would propose a development that would result in the clearing of so much core koala habitat, have a deleterious impact on their previously high environmental credentials, and damage their reputation in the community. My children would proudly report having seen a koala in the Junior School courtyard. I would hope that the College’s Environment Club has registered concern at this proposed clearing.The school grounds are a vital wildlife corridor connecting bushland in the north and south and in the west and east.”
I have lived in the Redlands for nearly 7 years now. One of the draw cards to live here was the beautiful environment and wildlife that was so evident living here. When going for a walk or visiting local parks I would often see koalas and I’d hear them at night. Sadly this has changed dramatically in recent years. It is much more rare to see one in the local trees and I no longer hear them at night. I have joined local wildlife and community groups which work to monitor koala and other wildlife populations. Growth in population, more houses being built and consequently wildlife habitats and corridors have been adversely affected. Some areas in the Redlands have long been marked as extremely important for the koala population. I believe this was so with the land that Ormiston College which is now proposing to remove more ‘koala trees’ to build school buildings. This is distressing and wrong in so many ways. How can local, state or federal governments allow this to proceed. What example does this action and support of it give to the young people attending this school or indeed, to the wider community?
Ormiston college has the opportunity to practise the values which it seeks convey to its student body in respect to the environment by maintaining and protecting high value natural koala habitat within its grounds. Students at the school are participating in the 2025 Sustainable Development Challenge in which they are to identify local environmental issues relating to the biosphere and have chosen to study Coochiemudlo Island. Their fine efforts would be more appropriately directed towards protecting the valuable habitat within the school grounds. Is this a diversion from the realities of the habitat destruction planned by the school?
“We …drive down Old Cleveland Road East past the College 2-4 times a day. Last week a koala was hit on this road, and the joey can’t be found, there are high fears it is dead. A large proportion of the trees proposed for clearing are adjacent to this road. The koala’s in the region are struggling, and past mature tree clearing in Ormiston has already taken away key habitat.The College should take its social licence to operate seriously. Steps such as attempting to bypass normal conventions, such as community consultation, jeopardise this social licence,and will cause the community to look very carefully at supporting future endeavours by the school, including general fundraising or community engagement. It is very disappointing that the College has taken this approach,and it is hoped that the rejection of the MID will make them re-think their approach”.
“I have been a resident of the Redlands for over 30 years and during this time I have watched with sorrow the huge decline in our koala numbers. However, as evidenced by the small Toondah population they are still trying to survive in our altered environment. But,destruction of essential habitat as proposed below is a part of the “death by a thousand cuts” that is decimating the few remaining populations. My son went to Ormiston College so I appreciate what has been achieved there but this proposal is against all I thought they stood for”.
“It is with great despair that I write to express my strong opposition to the Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) that will allow Ormiston College’s expansion, which threatens to clear over 650 mature trees in a core koala habitat zone. Koalas are in decline here in the Redlands because of past, uncaring attitudes like this expansion plan. Koala habitat is lost – a bit here and a bit there. In July 2018 I attended a Koala Collaboration, sponsored by the Queensland Government, held at Lone Pine Zoo. Professor Hamish McCallum, an ecologist, stated that “ Koala declines are multi-factorial stemming from habitat loss. If they have nowhere to live then disease is of secondary importance. What a profound statement! Of course koalas develop chlamydia because they have nowhere to live. We’d suffer from disease if we were under stress with nowhere to live. At the same collaboration Professor Bill Ellis spoke of his research focused on body temperatures of koalas and their adaptation to heat in their surrounding environments. The research found that, in hot months, koalas headed for cool areas; they need forage and shade trees. However, his results found that when night time temperatures remained high the koalas weren’t able to lower their body temperatures and therefore, didn’t eat.This research was extremely relevant for saving koala habitat in the Redlands and Koala Coast for we have cooler day and night temperatures during summer which provides ideal conditions for koalas to thrive here. The trees at Ormiston College must remain so koalas have suitable habitat in which to live because global temperatures are increasing making other areas further west highly unsuitable”.
“As a person that was professionally involved in the preparation of the first SEQ Regional Plan I continue to be concerned regarding the lack of adoption of a regional perspective for planning within SEQ. In addition, I was involved in a workshop dealing with risks to koalas that was held at Alexandra Hills in early 2000s. While now retired I still involve myself in helping members of the community contribute constructively to planning and dealing with development decisions that do not reflect their legitimate interests.
“Based on the above, I write to express my concern at what I perceive to be an inappropriate Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) allowing Ormiston College’s expansion, which has the potential to lead to the clearing of over 650 mature trees in a core koala habitat zone. This area is of high ecological value, confirmed by State mapping. Ormiston is a part of Redland City Council’s Koala Safe Neighbourhood program, a collaboration between Redland City Council and the local community to reduce the threats to our local urban koala population and involving detailed population monitoring and behavioural studies. The habitat at risk sits within this area.
The proposed offset of 526 small plants is effectively useless. Mature habitat trees take decades to provide the same ecological function, and koalas cannot survive long enough to benefit from seedlings planted today.
The use of a MID sets a dangerous precedent by bypassing council planning and community consultation processes and to be used to justify further clearing. Its use in this instance potentially damages the wide community support the College has enjoyed.
It is a fact that a major cause of koala deaths is loss of habitat and subsequent development including traffic infrastructure and dog attacks. These trees provide essential food, shelter,and movement corridors for koalas. Their removal will fragment habitat, reduce food sources, and increase risks to this already endangered species.
I urge the State Government to reconsider this MID and protect the irreplaceable koala habitat in Ormiston. It would be appreciated if the grounds for such clearing can be justified and the professional and the professional standing including code of ethics of those involved in the decision-making process be publicly available to residents within Redlands”.
Published by Redlands2030 – 13 September 2025
P.S. remember to email this to your State MP and ask them to help the Ormiston koalas.
As a retired senior biologist who has lived in the Redlands for the last 45 years I am fully aware of the need for mature gum trees if our remaining koalas are going to survive. Replacing 165 mature gum trees with saplings would be a death sentence for the koalas living today. Ormiston College needs to practice what it preaches. Otherwise, I would not send students to this college. There are many alternatives.
The Local Animals are having a seriously hard time competing in such a small area.. on top of the Fox’s not being removed after 6 years of reporting there is also a large drop in the number of bandicoots, ringtails and other wildlife plus the animals need refuge when the wetlands and rivers are flooding which results in animals being forced out of once safe locations due to territory crowding and often be dragged away in the currents not to mention a Kookaburras descendants have continuingly been making a nest in one of the trees due to its perfect structure the past 20 years which they want to knock down.
The country has let in too many foreigners and now bushlands and forest are a target for structural growth.