Letters about Toondah, koalas and traffic

Redlanders’ letters express concern about all three levels of government. This batch of letters calls out Toondah planning, koala extinction and traffic congestion as matters that could best be described as symptoms of governance failures.

Ministerial advice ignored

Having followed the five year saga of the plans to develop Toondah Harbour as a new town in Moreton Bay I have observed and heard the growing concerns of more and more people. Importantly, concerns are not only growing in intensity but spreading across Queensland and both nationally and internationally. Clearly the local focus of community consultation done in 2014) was misplaced and ignored a huge body of the stakeholders – those who live beyond the Redlands.

It seems to me that the three levels of government, rather than being champions for our unique and fragile environment, are too easily persuaded by pressure from developers to find ways around the environmental laws.  The Federal Environment Department’s approach to administering the EPBC Act seems to be one of negotiation with the developer! And this is done with little input from the community and even the Department’s own experts. When the Department’s experts reached the conclusion that the proposal was “clearly unacceptable” because it would “result in permanent and irreversible damage to the ecological character of the Moreton Bay Ramsar wetland”   (ABC Podcast “The Birds and the Businessman”) the Environment Minister of the day decided that the referral process should proceed to the next phase, an Environment Impact Statement (EIS).  Clearly a decision lacking merit and inconsistent with the weight of evidence.

We wonder how the new Environment Minister (Sussan Ley) can “feel confident that the (future) process will be handled correctly” as she was heard to say in a recent ABC Four Corners interview. Clearly the previous Minister did not heed his experts’ advice.  

So far we believe the process has failed the community and the environment.  It begs the question why do we maintain a Department of the Environment if the Minister does not take its advice?

BJ
Cleveland

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Australian Koala Foundation says Koalas are “functionally” extinct

I am angry and ashamed of our governments at all levels. A few weeks ago the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) has reported that as far as it is concerned Koalas may be functionally extinct in the entire landscape of Australia. Words escape me.

It seems the AKF said there are no more than 80,000 Koalas in Australia. This is approximately 1% of the 8 million Koalas that were shot for fur and sent to London between 1890 and 1927.

I understand that since 2010, the AKF has monitored the 128 Federal electorates that fall within the range of the Koala and it found that 41 of those electorates have no Koalas, none….they are extinct.

This is no surprise because the Senate Inquiry of 2011 exposed that the Koala was in trouble. Since then not enough has been done to protect their habitat. The AKF has reported that in its view politicians have abrogated their responsibilities.

First, Labor had the opportunity to establish a Koala Recovery Plan in 2012 and that was before they lost power to the Coalition. No one has written anything to protect the Koala since and a National Recovery Plan, mandated by law, has still not been written.

The latest Senate Inquiry into Australia’s Faunal Extinction Crisis has proved that the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act is a failure, it does not work.

AKF CEO Deborah Tabart has written to all sitting members who live in Koala habitat and said that the Koala Protection Act could and must work closely with new proposed environmental laws, promised by Labor and the Greens. What happens if they don’t win? Even if they do, these laws could take years.

I agree with the AKF, it is time for it to stop the Koala’s path to extinction. It is time for Australian forests to be protected and for the new Australian Government could swiftly put the AKF’s Koala Protection Act in place.

The AKF’s Koala Protection Act is based on the Bald Eagle Act which works with both the Federal Endangered Species Act and the Environment Protection Authority in the USA. The Bald Eagle Act was successful because there was political motive to ensure their icon did not go extinct.

It is time for the Koala to be afforded the same respect.

NM
Cleveland

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$37 million for 800 metres of road

The Redland City Bulletin (11 June 2019) reported that the State Budget has provided $37 Million to duplicate Cleveland – Redland Bay Road between Magnolia Parade and Benfer Road at Victoria Point. A wow factor of zero!

That is an embarrassing announcement for a government to make. It might make Kim Richards look a bit more like a can do politician but the on-ground outcome will be about 800 metres of duplicated road. If this approach is replicated term on term then the much needed road upgrades will likely be completed in 30-40 years!

It is obvious to all who live here that the investment in the Cleveland- Redland Bay Road is already lagging well behind the developments in Victoria Point and Redland Bay. The future seems bleak. There will be more and more congestion before anything meaningful is done. The simple solution is surely to put a hold the development until the roads are capable of handling the traffic!

At the same time there was an announcement of $5 million to be spent on improving access to the Gateway Motorway at Belmont. This looks cheap compared to the Victoria Point project. But, of course, the extra slow lane will likely be almost a parking lane most mornings unless the lights that control access onto the Gateway give some preference to Redlanders

DS
Victoria Point

Redlands2030 welcomes letters

Letters can be emailed to theeditor@redlands2030.net

Here’s a link to more letters published by Redlands2030, on 17 June 2019

Published by Redlands2030 – 9 July 2019