About thirty citizens gathered outside Richmond MP Justine Elliot’s South Tweed office on Friday to draw attention to the urgent need to reform forestry and planning laws at both state and federal levels. The event was in aid of Fridays4Forests, an activist group that lobbies for an end to native forests logging.
Northern Rivers Guardians President Scott Sledge says Mrs Elliot was invited to address the meeting but declined, as she was out of the office for International Women’s Day. She did not delegate a spokesperson as requested, but sent this message to the gathering:
‘The Greens Party protesting outside my electorate office about local council and state government decisions and responsibilities demonstrates that the Greens are at war with themselves. This latest planned Greens Party “protest” is about trying to stop a new housing development at Wallum, a housing development that was recently approved by Byron Shire Greens Party Councillors.
‘Wallum also has NSW state government approval to commence development, so if the Greens were genuine about this issue, they would be protesting outside the office of the Greens Party’s NSW State Member for Ballina Tamara Smith on this issue,’ said the statement.
Mr Sledge said it was inappropriate for the MP to denigrate the Greens and to lock the office, as if staff were afraid of the signs and koala costumes.
‘We were surprised to see Justine’s office refuse other constituents too,’ said Mr Sledge.
‘The front windows were papered over with propaganda attacking the Greens, but we made it clear from several advance invitations for her to address us that we simply would be asking our views be heard by our elected representative.’
Residents should engage at every level
Speakers included Tweed Shire Cr Nola Firth, who said the issue of planning was alive down to the local government level and residents should engage in feedback at every level.
She called on the community to respond to the NSW government inquiry into koala protection, with particular reference to the urgent need for NSW to join Victoria and WA to stop logging native forests.
‘In this time of the threat of mass extinction and after the recent bushfires that killed so many native creatures, it is madness to continue to log the state owned remnants of native animal habitats,’ she said. Ms Firth also called on everyone to give immediate feedback through Your Say Tweed on the Growth Management and Housing Strategy Options paper and concerning urban and rural wildlife corridors.
Forest action organiser Sean O’Shannessey said the issue of land clearing and a halt to logging native forests was essential to rein in climate change, with reform of state and federal laws needed to save endangered species such as koalas, gliders and cockatoos.
Koalas
‘At current rates of extinction there will be no koalas alive in NSW by 2050.’ Mr O’Shannessy said. ‘Destruction of their habitat will end hopes of saving this iconic species.’
Forest campaigner Valerie Thompson said the Wallum Estate development is an example of poor planning that could destroy an important remnant of coastal wildlife habitat in Justine Elliot’s electorate.
‘Justine is a minister in the current federal government and could ask the Environment Minister, The Hon. Tanya Plibersek to “call in” the project near Brunswick Heads for review under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, but has refused to do that,’ said Ms Thompson.
Scott Sledge said the EPBC itself was seriously flawed as there is no consideration of future or global effects of projects. He argued that it should require environmental assessment of major projects, such as new coal and gas schemes.
‘The current review of the EPBC could improve accountability but so far has looked like making it even easier to damage our environment,’ said Mr Sledge.
‘On a state level we need to stop “zombie developments” (projects approved long ago and brought back to life later) in favour of assessment considering current conditions.’
Valerie Thompson said environment laws could protect Threatened Ecological Communities, such as Wallum, but neither state not federal governments seem to have the appetite for using them.
‘Building a new set of luxury houses will do nothing to alleviate the housing affordability crisis, but will destroy the homes of the wildlife that currently lives there,’ she said.
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