Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) asked all candidates to complete a survey on sustainable development, however of the 32 Cairns candidates, only 11 responded. 7 were Independents, 4 from Cairns 1st. None were received from Kevin Byrne's Unity candidates.
Of the 30 Tableland Regional Council candidates surveyed, only ten responded.
CAFNEC says there is often a low level of understanding about sustainability. They have put the results on their website of each candidate’s views on planning for sustainability.
"We continue to lose our remaining natural areas, including important wildlife corridors and key riparian zones.," says Steve Ryan of CAFNEC. "These green zones are continuously eroded by nearby development and wildlife is disappearing from our landscape. As wetlands and native river vegetation are cleared or degraded by development, natural flood protection services and wildlife populations become impacted."
"Although trees are being planted by council and non-government entities to improve vegetation around some rivers such as the Barron, longer-term strategies for ensuring protection and enhancement of a connected system of riparian/wildlife corridors is greatly needed," he says.
“The planning schemes offered by our Local Governments as protection of our natural and scenic landscapes can be changed at will, and are on a regular basis. The recent clearing of an identified wildlife corridor in Myola demonstrated just how easily a council Planning Scheme can be undermined," said Steve Ryan.
Here's an excerpt from the recent Myola decision:
Mareeba Shire Planning Scheme alterations for Development Application to Clear in an identified wildlife corridor. Allowable clearing area increased by 500% at the stroke of a pen.Full Approval Document available.
The reality is that although the concept of sustainable development is getting through to some candidates, as evidenced by their use of this term in their election campaigns, a bolder vision and stronger actions are needed to make it a reality in local government decision making processes.
5 comments:
The results of participants in this survey (ie no Unity team members) is very alarming for the residents of the Douglas Shire, who at the moment seem to be in another world of their own.
Come next weekend if you vote for KB and the Unity team, you can kiss your environment goodbye like the rest of Cairns has had to do. The Byrne led Unity team does not understand the concepts of climate change, sustainability, preservation of species, or environmntally-friendly. They are all about development for development sake and nothing will stand in the way of this.
Too late once you vote them in again!
I am interested to know if Councillor Bonneau participated. He has an abysmal track record in preserving our evironment as witnessed by the allowace of numerous developers on the norhtern beaches area to clear riparian corridors on Deadman's Creek, Deep Creek, Delaney's Creek, clearing cassowary habitats at Palm Cove,putting roads through wetlands at Argentea, Palm Cove, concreting up creeks at Clifton and Trinity Beach and housing site lots of 2-4 football field cleared of every tree, and I mean every tree. All on his turf oh and lets not forget the wallablies along the Captain Cook Hwy, who are all facing an imminent death and slow death due to overdevelopemnt around them and the loss of their wildlife corridors. What has he done to ensure their survival?
There were no Unity candidates at a public meeting held on Wednesday night to discuss better public transport in Cairns. Unity showed their contempt for the less well off in Cairns, and their contempt for peak oil and global warming by staying away in their entirety.
Three cheers for the Independents and Cairns 1st. Most of them attended and participated.
Of course Byrne and Unity wouldn't attend a meeting on public transport!! The pensioners, the handicapped, the unemployed, the invalided, the students, the school kids...these are "minority" groups! Unity isn't interested in "minority" groups, according to Byrne.
Actually the only 2 independents there Were Thelma Spelta Div 5, and Mayoral candidate Selwyn Johnston. Cairns 1st had nearly the whole team there. While I expected Unity to not show, I was taken back by the lack of interest by the independents.
Well over 1,000 of those so called minority groups including the unemployed and low income earners, and pensioners will all be living along Clifton Road in the 3 monstrosities currently being built there and the future ones in Yule and Guide street, as most of those will probably be using the bus service into town. The disabled wouldn't be able to use the stairs on these 3-4 storeys!
So why was there someone not from the Unity team. They have created these messes in our suburbs, but are unwilling it seems, to be part of the solution.
Post a Comment