Logan and Albert Conservation Association

We all need to send this letter - EPBC potential loss

PETITION TO SIGN!

To date the most important piece of legislation in Australia to protect the natural environment from greedy exploitative practices and unsustainable development is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, EPBC.

It provides a legal framework to protect and manage nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places — defined in the EPBC Act as matters of national environmental significance.

Under pressure from big business Federal, State and Territory governments are moving forward with an aggressive plan to wind back our environmental protection laws. By cutting 'green tape', handing important federal approval powers to the states, and fast tracking approvals for large development, federal protection for our most special places and wildlife will be removed, and mining and other destructive development in our forests, woodlands and along our coasts will be accelerated.

History has shown us that the Federal government has a critical role in protecting matters of national environmental significance. Short-sighted development proposals have threatened Australia's natural heritage several times in the past and the Federal government has stepped in to prevent irreversible harm.

Without Federal intervention, the Franklin River would be dammed, there would be oil rigs on the Great Barrier Reef and pristine Shoalwater Bay would be home to a large coal port.

Without Federal protection the KOALA will be doomed to extinction.

The Places You Love campaign was founded by a group of 30 organisations, including HSI concerned with the proposals to wind back our system of environmental laws. We strongly believe that the reforms proposed will set us back decades on hard won protection for our land, water and wildlife

 FRIENDS OF THE EARTH have arranged a petition - very easy step to sign to send to Prime Minister Julia  Gillard. You might like send to other politicians - by email or snail. Read text of letter you can use or adapt here and

PUBLIC MEETING @ PARK RIDGE  PUBLIC MEETING @ PARK RIDGE PUBLIC MEETING @ PARK RIDGE

TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2011

7pm

Park Ridge (Baptist) Church Main Hall

3922 Mt Lindesay Highway Park Ridge 4125

(Take the exit off highway at Park Ridge and follow the eastern service lane for the Mt Lindesay Highway – brick building with car park area provided)

NO LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY IS VIABLE

We want koalas not new tollways. We want quolls not more multi-lane roads. Bushland habitat is home to many native wildlife and wetland areas like Jerry's Downfall which is part of Chambers Creek Catchment Area provide critical filtering system for the rivers and creeks of Logan.

Bushlands wetlands and river systems all contribute to those essentials to maintain human life - clean air, clean water and food. Sustainable development, meaning  ecologically sustainable, requires that our human settlement - and moving around - does not destroy the natural envionment to introduce more built structures.

 COME TO THE PUBLIC MEETING TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2011 @ PARK RIDGE @ 7pm - SAME VENUE PRC  INFO SESSIONS

Contact Karen 3802 2353 , Rod 0408 740 144 or Anne 3297 0624 for more details and contributions to meeting.

See STANDING AGAINST HIGHWAY

  Urban Land Development Authority Act 2007 - removes all rights of citizens

E petitions are one way to let government know how you feel about an issue. Link at end of article.

This legislation creates a new Authority, the Urban Land Development Authority to plan, carry out and promote development in declared areas. The purpose of that Act focuses on housing creation. 

When an area is declared an urban land development area by regulation, the declaration must make an interim land use plan for the area. The Authority must make a new development scheme for the area which is like a planning scheme. There is mandatory public notification of  the new planning scheme and public submissions must be taken into account. The development schemes must be published on the ULDA website. The development scheme sets out if any individual development applications must be publicly notified. The development scheme prevails over plans, policies and codes made under SPA or another Act.

 Effectively,  the Urban Land Development Authority becomes the decision maker in lieu of council. Only the Authority may go to the Planning and Environment Court to seek enforcement orders or declarations-  whereas under SPA any person has that entitlement.

GREENBANK people power - sign the E-petition

Governments - Queensland Government especially with the SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND REGIONAL PLAN SEQRP have been writing and talking about ecologically sustainable development   ESD and sustainability.

The eight hundred local residents who gathered on the grounds at Greenbank - outside the hall - to hear CEO for ULDA Mr Paul Eagles and his chief planner Steve Connor appreciate the time given by these busy men to listen to our community concerns. That is also a huge contribution from the local citizens to help our planners developers and government achieve the best possible outcome for our global community.

However using a word or expresion to describe an activity doen't make it so. In 1992, the Commonwealth Goverment offered its own definition of ESD

Ecologically sustainable development is using, conserving, and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased.

This description can in no way be applied to the current high density housing proposal which may / may not be appoved before any semblance of community engagement with freedom to access background studies ground truthed and peer reviewed by local specialists.

The Australian Youth Climate Coalition and World Vision, through this Youth Decide vote, www.youthdecide.com.au  have created an opportunity for young Australians to lay their cards on the table and express what kind of future they want to choose.

This campaign is original and creative enough to cut through. The young organizers can help to present a unified youth voice calling for a very different kind of future to the path we're currently on.

Voting opens Monday 14th and closes Monday 21st September and if you're aged 12 - 29 and live in Australia you're eligible to vote. Choose wisely - it's your future.

                                                     CURRENT  EPETITION         

Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House the community's total opposition to the construction of this power line because it will be a permanent obtrusive and dangerous structure that will cause:

- damage to this unique environment by destroying vegetation, native animal habitat and resulting in erosion of the riverbank, the loss of community amenity and visual amenity (restricting current and future uses of the river by visitors and residents and spoiling this beautiful green landscape and valuable community asset);

- potential health and safety risks to residents, maintenance and emergency workers during floods and to grazing and native animals; and

- adverse impacts on property values.

The House should note that the construction of this power line totally contradicts the principles of the Queensland Government's Towards Q2 plan (Green Qld - Protecting our Lifestyle and Environment) which stresses the need to 'protect our natural landscapes' and to 'retain the green spaces between neighbourhoods and regions that create a natural break in our built environment and protect areas that support our unique native wildlife and fragile ecosystems'.

Getup current campaign alerts all citizens to this rather anomalous situation. Millions of ordinary people are taking personal actions to reduce their energy use and greenhouse gases.

Under the proposed scheme to reduce emissions 5-15%, the other aspect is that the big polluters will be able to increase emissions.

GetUp National Director Simon Sheikh through questions asked of the Department of Climate Change and the Commonwealth Treasury presents this information.

Target Range:
The Government?s household support package, its industry support package and the carbon price it is using are all based on a 5% target. So while they are attempting to package this up as a 5-15% target range, they are in actuality locking in a meaningless 5%. The Government did not, as expected, leave the door open to a 25% target. The target can ONLY be changed AFTER 2020.