Another win for the Greater Glider. 

Dear Friends.

At the beginning of the year an unprecedented amount of Australias east coast forest habitats were decimated and destroyed by fire. New estimates of over 3 billion animals killed or displaced, many to later suffer and die of starvation or predation. Ecosystems that took thousands of years to form, wiped out. These fires have been declared an extinction event by eminent scientists and we now know it is plausibly the largest environmental disaster to hit our planet in modern times. Many times larger than the Exxon Valdez and Deep Horizon oil spill disasters combined. And so our fight to save this incredibly rich and diverse forest habitat at Manyana began in earnest.

Today, Federal Minister for Environment Sussan Ley decided that the Ozy Homes development of Manyana Beach Estate is to be ”called in” under the EPBC act. That means the project will have to go through a more thorough assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Minister Ley believes that the proposed development/action is likely to have a significant impact on threatened species such as the Grey Headed Flying Fox, Greater Glider and Swift Parrot amongst others. It is a historic outcome for our small community and a big win for our campaign.

 On behalf of myself and the Manyana Matters Environmental Association I would like to thank everyone for their incredible efforts, support and love for this vitally important cause bringing us to this milestone in the campaign. Your voice on behalf of the Greater Glider and all the species in the forest have been heard.

I know that for many of us who experienced the devastation and loss of the fires this battle has been a very hard one at a time of despair, grief and loss. We know and understand what you have gone through and given up to stand up against big business and big government to be this voice for what's left of our native flora and fauna.

This decision by Minister Ley is a validation of all of our concerns and though it is extremely welcomed it is not, I am sorry to say, the end of our fight to save this forest from destruction. As you know by now this forest is one of the last foundational genetic pools that will provide the seeds of regeneration for our animals and ecosystems post fires. But some see it differently and are still working hard to destroy the forest and develop the land. It is purely about money.

I hope you will all stick with us to keep up this fight. There is quite a lot to achieve yet to see this forest protected and preserved for future generations.

For now though we can look at ourselves and say well done. Whether you wrote a submission to Minister Ley, donated to the campaign or turned up to one of our events, you’ve played a critical role in getting us where we are today. Thank you so much.

With your continuing support we will maintain pressure on our local, state and federal representatives to make sure this development never goes ahead.

We’ll be keeping you up to date with all the latest activities, and how you can help as we continue the fight to save our precious habitat and wildlife.

But for now, give yourself a big pat on the back and thank you so much again for what you’ve made possible.

Warmest regards,

Bill Eger   #manyanamatters

President, MMEA

Manyana Matters Environmental Association (MMEA) Inc acknowledges that the prospect of this land being cleared is having a profound impact on the mental health of people within our community and beyond. We encourage those experiencing distress to reach out to Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or LifeLine on 13 11 14 for support.

Please continue to write your concerns to :

Matt Kean. NSW Minister for Environment. office@kean.minister.nsw.gov.au

Rob Stokes. NSW Minister for Planning. office@stokes.minister.nsw.gov.au

Sussan Ley Federal Minister for Environment. minister.ley@environment.gov.au

Shelley Hancock . Local Member, Minister for Local Government. southcoast@parliament.nsw.gov.au