The Toondah Alliance is celebrating the welcome news that Environment Minister, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek made a draft decision this week to reject Walker’s clearly unacceptable 3,600 unit, 200-berth marina proposal on environmental grounds.
URGENT
While we are so close to victory, we must rally the troops one more time and let the Minister know by Monday 23 April why we support her decision.
Please submit your comments ASAP via her department’s decision response page so we can make sure Walker’s planet wrecking project is dead in the water.
Please also use Birdlife Australia’s handy tool to make sure your voice is heard by telling the Minister and your elected representatives you want Toondah protected.
Another option is to join the Stradbroke (Terangeri) Environmental and Cultural Protection Association Inc. email campaign.
It would be amazing too, if you could call the Minister on (02) 6277 7920 or email her at Minister.Plibersek@dcceew.gov.au
Redlands2030 have an email letter you can use.
Key points you can make are:
- You do not want it in the Ramsar wetland, GJ Walter Park or Moreton Bay Marine Park and that you want the 10 threatened species (Koalas, Eastern Curlew, Great Knot, Lesser Sand Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles, dugongs and Australian humpback dolphin) living there to survive
- It is unacceptable to remove 58.7 ha from the internationally protected wetland for such a large-scale private development on public land
- There is no net environmental benefit from clearing 2.5 ha of mangroves, 37.8 ha of seagrass and 7.5 ha of unvegetated intertidal sandbanks and mudflats
- Removing approximately half a million cubic metres of seabed and wetland will cause irreversible damage.
You can watch the Minister’s draft decision on her Facebook page and read her media statement.
We need to make sure Walker surrenders and does not fire back with a scaled down proposal that we have to keep fighting.
Media coverage
The draft decision made headlines, please see some of the massive coverage below:
Scientific support
Even with almost 26,000 submissions opposing the draft EIS and our 75,140 signatures, Queensland Minister for State Development and Infrastructure, the Honourable Grace Grace, is still saying ‘the project had to meet the highest environmental standards’.
Fortunately, in spite of her government’s relentless efforts to massively increase the scale of the development, create Priority Development Area approvals, sign a confidential preferred developer agreement with Walker and change Ramsar boundaries, 150 scientists and experts have jointly asked the Minister to reject this development.
It’s also deceptive to claim the current dredging of the existing Fison Channel for years for the ferries and barges is happening in the main Ramsar area – IT IS NOT.
With the release of a UQ scientific report finding 98% of the floor of Moreton Bay had become covered in a thick layer of mud, smothering the underwater plants and animals, now more than ever we need to keep Toondah’s seagrass, bird and sea life.
Petition tabled
Thanks again for all your signatures and efforts to save Toondah, I’m proud our 75,140+ petition was tabled by Senator Larissa Waters in Parliament last month.
I know we all share different political beliefs. Unfortunately the two major parties have been key supporters of this project, so I’m grateful for the Greens’ efforts to make sure our petition is officially recognised by Parliament.
Summary
After more than 10 years this is the best news yet. We’re not quite there yet, so please lodge your feedback to the draft decision by 23 April.
We know this development is clearly unacceptable with no net environmental benefit and not in the urgent national interest.
It’s a very poor reflection on local elected representatives that their only vision for revitalising the Cleveland CBD is to destroy a Ramsar wetland and replace it with a 3600-unit playground for the mega rich - hardly a solution to the people and species most impacted by the housing and extinction crises.
We need them to get on and fund a ferry terminal upgrade and invest in some rejuvenation of the existing terminal tarmac and put some proper retail and perhaps even housing there.
Finally, if you can, please join the Toondah Alliance on 28 April (10am to 2pm) for their Safe Passage event celebrating the achievements of our phenomenal people powered movement.
Thank you as always, we’re almost there – please Minister, save the bay today.
Yours in Toondah
Dylan