MEDIA RELEASE – 21 March 2016 

Biodiversity Bill must not allow extinction: conservation groups

Conservation groups have welcomed Premier Barnett’s statement that the government would accept amendments to new biodiversity legislation tabled for debate in the State Parliament this week. Without significant changes including specific provisions to prevent wildlife extinction, conservation groups say the Bill should be withdrawn.

The Biodiversity Conservation Bill 2015 was initially welcomed by conservation groups after being introduced into the Parliament without consultation; however independent analysis by the WA Environmental Defenders Office has since shown that the bill falls well short of contemporary practice for environmental law.

 CCWA Director Piers Verstegen said “WA’s unique native wildlife is under huge pressure from climate change, land clearing, logging, mining, gas fracking, feral animals and other impacts.

“Now is not the time for the Government to be putting forward half measures that will fail to address the decline of our unique biodiversity, or creating extraordinary new powers to allow Ministers to approve extinction.

“There is no provision for an independent Biodiversity Authority, no requirement for scientific advice, no targets for wildlife recovery, and no requirement for the Minster to use any of the powers in the legislation or to publicly report on the condition of wildlife.  Instead the Bill creates new powers for a Minster to play God by allowing the extinction of an entire species.

Like the 1950’s legislation it seeks to replace, the Bill is full of loopholes and exemptions for certain activities and classes of animals.

Wilderness Society Coordinator Peter Robertson said, “This Bill was drafted without consultation and contains many fundamental flaws and omissions.

“In its current form it is not “fit for purpose” as 21^st century biodiversity conservation legislation. The lack of any statutory public involvement, including third party enforcement rights, shows this legislation is outdated before it is even law.

“In our view the legislation is so deeply flawed that it should not be passed unless there are major amendments.”

“Arresting the decline of our native wildlife demands a comprehensive package of reforms including funding, increased protected areas, major changes to the management of forest and other public lands, and contemporary legislation,” concluded Mr. Verstegen

The Conservation groups have written to all Members of Parliament outlining major amendments that are required for the Bill to be effective, and asking Parliament to refer the Bill to a Committee where amendments can be considered in detail.

Comment:

Piers Verstegen, Director CCWA – 0411 557 892

Peter Robertson, Acting Coordinator, The Wilderness Society WA – 0409 089 020

MEDIA RELEASE – Thursday 17^th March

Government report denies farmers rights and information on fracking

Conservation groups have renewed the call for gas fracking to be banned in WA following the release of a government report confirming that farmers would be denied veto rights; and critical information such as groundwater monitoring data would continue to be withheld from the community and landholders.

The government has released its response to the recommendations made by the Legislative Standing Committee on Environment report Implications for Western Australia of hydraulic fracturing for unconventional gas.

CCWA Director Piers Verstegen said: “The Standing Committee avoided examining many serious issues with fracking; however the lack of rights for landholders and the withholding of information - including groundwater monitoring data - were two areas where the Committee did raise concerns.

“Rather than addressing these critical issues the government response confirms that farmers will continue to be denied veto rights over fracking on their land, and critical information will continue to be kept secret while a ‘review’ is carried out.

“This is not good enough. The State Government has been promising transparency for years but the secrecy continues.

“While anti-protest laws that would prevent farmers locking their gates against gas fracking are pushed through the Parliament, simple changes required to release information continue to be put off.

“Thousands of farms across the Midwest and Southwest now have fracking exploration leases over them. With no veto rights, these farmers are put at the mercy of the mining companies

Those landholders are understandably concerned about the impact that fracking could have on their health, groundwater, communities and property values.”

“Many other countries have banned gas fracking in order to protect groundwater, farming and food industries.

“If the fracking industry were allowed to proceed in WA at the scale proposed, it would mean drilling and fracking thousands of gas wells through our groundwater aquifers and turning our farms and tourist areas into industrial gasfields.

“These are not things that should ever be contemplated here in WA, and are not something the public supports.

“Despite overwhelming evidence, the Parliamentary Report and government response perpetuates the myth that shale gas fracking can be done safely, when in fact it poses a serious threat to our environment, groundwater and tourism and farming industries.

Comment: Piers Verstegen Director CCWA – 0411 557 892

National and state environment groups have today release an analysis of the proposed Mulga Rock uranium mine, which identifies that the project lies between three fault lines that the proponent failed to adequately disclose.

Media Release - 3 March 2016

Conservation Groups have responded with alarm to revelations that the WA Government’s Perth and Peel Green Growth Plan would decimate the remaining population of unique and endangered Carnaby's cockatoos on the Swan Coastal Plain.

The Plan has been developed as part of a Strategic Assessment which aims to protect endangered wildlife and provide certainty for developers by removing the need for environmental assessments for development proposals in the Perth-Peel region.

A Population Viability Analysis for the cockatoos undertaken as part of the Assessment has been withheld from public release; however it has been revealed that the proposed clearing of banksia woodland and pine plantations under the Plan would reduce the remaining cockatoo population by 50%. The 2015 Great Cocky Count estimated that less than 6,000 cockatoos remain in the Swan Coastal Plain population. 

“While the Government has hailed this Plan as a great environmental initiative, the government’s own numbers show that it will lock in the deaths of thousands of cockatoos through starvation, as their vital food sources are bulldozed to make way for more unsustainable urban sprawl” said Conservation Council Director Piers Verstegen.

“The Plan gives certainty to developers that they will make profits and gives certainty to thousands of cockatoos that they will be killed or die of starvation.

“The population of these beautiful and unique birds has been rapidly declining over the last decade and the Green Growth Plan would fail to address that decline.

“Until now we have had a ‘death by a thousand cuts’ as urban sprawl has destroyed vast areas of critical habitat for cockatoos. The Green growth Plan was supposed to fix that problem however the Governments own numbers show it will do the opposite.

“These birds are unique and exist nowhere else in the world. They are a totem for Noongar people and are part of our shared cultural and environmental heritage. We must do better than this at protecting them.

“If our environmental laws can allow endangered wildlife to be decimated in this way clearly those laws are failing our environment and need to be changed urgently.

“Based on these projections, it is clear that the Green Growth plan needs to be sent back to the drawing board and much greater effort made to protect remaining banksia woodland and other critical habitat for endangered species in the Perth-Peel Region.

“Offsets provided in the Plan in the form of new conservation estate are welcome, however offsets can never make up for the massive net loss of habitat that is proposed.

“Our capital city is in one of the worlds few internationally recognised Biodiversity Hotspots - we need a plan for our Capital City that preserves those values and addresses the threats.

“Conservation groups are calling on the State and Commonwealth Environment Ministers to reject this proposal as unacceptable.

“Instead the State Government must halt any further clearing of native cockatoo habitat and initiate land swaps or directly buy back areas of banksia woodland that have been previously zoned for urban sprawl.

“We cannot let past planning decisions, which are yet to be acted upon, lock in the catastrophic decline of our endangered species.

“Research shows clearly that Perth residents want to live in a sustainable city that replaces urban sprawl with sustainable apartments, green corridors, renewable energy and public transport. Now is the time for our State Government to deliver - not lock in more destruction of habitat for unique wildlife.

Comment: Piers Verstegen 0411 557 892

Image of Carnaby's Cockatoo by Margaret Owen.

Groups have welcomed the motion by the Australian Federal Senate which calls on the Barnett Government to abandon its proposed anti-protest bill.

Media Release - 16 February 2016

UN call on WA Parliament to reject anti-protest laws welcomed by environment groups

Environment Groups have welcomed the statement by the United Nations human rights experts urging the WA Parliament not to pass the Barnett Governments proposed anti-protest bill.

Conservation Council Director Piers Verstegen said “This is an embarrassing day for the Government and for Western Australia with the United Nations having to step in to remind our Parliament of its international human rights obligations, which the UN experts say would be contravened by the governments proposed anti-protest laws.

“After examining the proposed anti protest bill, the UN Special Rapporteurs have concluded that the legislation would contravene international obligations including the rights to freedom of opinion and expression as well as peaceful assembly and association.

“The UN statement also reminds the WA Parliament that a healthy environment is a human right, and that peaceful protest defense of that right is legitimate and necessary regardless of whether these activities are seen by some as frustrating development

“A broad alliance including conservation groups, lawyers, trade unions, churches, farmers and many others have expressed serious concerns about this bill and now the United Nations has validated those concerns with this important statement.

“How much more evidence does the government need before they drop this badly drafted and draconian bill from their legislative agenda?”
The UN Special Rapporteurs statement says “The Bill would grant police disproportionate and unnecessary powers to restrict lawful protests, primarily against environmental activists trying to raise awareness of key environmental issues. It discourages legitimate protest activity and instead, prioritizes business and government resource interests over the democratic rights of individuals.
The statement also warns that “The Bill will have the chilling effect of silencing dissenters and punishing expression protected by international human rights law. Instead of having a necessary legitimate aim, would disproportionately criminalize legitimate protest actions.”

Comment: Piers Verstegen – 0411 557 892

Read the full statement by the UN

Media Release: Wednesday 10^th February 2016

Today Minister Marmion’s promotion of the uranium industry has revealed the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars to the marginal and underperforming sector that hopes to deliver little more than 170 jobs.  

MEDIA RELEASE: Monday 8^th February 2016

Western Australian and national environment organisations have urged the state EPA not to approve uranium hopeful Toro Energy’s application for an expanded uranium project in the Wiluna region.

MEDIA RELEASE: Monday 14 December

State and national environment and Indigenous groups have called on the state EPA to reject Canadian company Cameco’s proposal to mine uranium at Yeelirrie in WA’s East Murchison region.

The Conservation Council of WA is celebrating 21 years of its prestigious Community Conservation Awards.

The annual awards recognise outstanding achievement by individuals and community groups in the conservation and protection of the natural environment, and the promotion of a more sustainable Western Australia.

At the Awards Night on 11 December 2015 at the WA Ecology Centre, the following winners were announced: