🚨 UPDATE: Federal Environment Minister has the evidence. Now he needs to hear from the community.

Since our last update, the Community Coalition (comprising 11 community organisations across the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay) has formally provided Federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt, with a comprehensive prima facie case explaining why he should exercise his powers and have the Coochin Creek developments (approved by Qld Planning Minister, Jarrod Bleijie via Ministerial Call-ins) referred for assessment under Australia's national environment laws. 

The submission demonstrates that:

✅ The developments sit within the Coochin Creek catchment, which flows directly into the Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland. 
✅ There are multiple recognised pathways by which Matters of National Environmental Significance may be affected. 
✅ The combined (cumulative) impacts of the two developments have never been assessed. 
✅ Under the EPBC Act, the threshold for referral is whether an action may have a significant impact. 

Importantly, the projects have still not been referred by the developer under the EPBC Act and and thus no Commonwealth assessment has  been triggered.

The Minister now has the information needed to act.

The question is whether he will.

We are close to 10,000 signatures

More than 9,600 people have already signed this petition.  But we need more.

Reaching 10,000+ signatures would send a powerful message that this issue is not going away and that the community expects Australia's national environment laws to be applied.

This is not simply a local planning issue.

It is about whether developments beside a Ramsar-listed wetland and within a nationally significant environmental corridor receive the independent and cumulative assessment that federal law was designed to provide. 

Three quick things you can do today

✅ Sign the petition if you haven't already. If you have, thank you!

✅  Send a short email to Minister Watt calling for referral of the developments under the EPBC Act. It does not need to be long. A few sentences is enough.

✅ Share the petition and new community information summary (link below) with family, friends, your wider network and community groups,

The evidence is before the Minister. 

Now we need to ensure the community's voice is impossible to ignore. Hundreds of short emails can do this.

Email: Minister.watt@dcceew.gov.au,  cc  senator.watt@aph.gov.au

Example (but please use your own words):

Dear Minister,

I am very concerned about the negative impact that two developments at Coochin Creek – the Big 4 style Tourist Park and Coochin Fields developments – will have on the Pumicestone Passage and beyond. 

Given their location within the catchment of the Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland, the lack of comprehensive environmental assessment prior to state government approval, and the absence of any Commonwealth assessment of cumulative impacts, I urge you to exercise your powers to ensure these projects are properly assessed under Australia's national environment laws.

Kind regards…

Every email matters.

Thank you for your continued support.

New Community Information Summary

The Community Coalition has also prepared a  summary explaining:

➡ has been approved
➡ the location matters
➡ key environmental risks
➡ cumulative impacts matter
➡ federal assessment is being sought.

Read the summary here: 

If you have friends or family who are new to this issue, please share it with them. It provides a quick overview of why so many people are concerned and why federal assessment remains critical.