Alan Moir |
Peter Mark Lewis |
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This blog is open to any who wish to comment on Australian society, the state of the environment or political shenanigans at Federal, State and Local Government level.
Before the disastrous 2019-2020 bushfire season the NSW North Coast region comprised 9.7 million hectares of land, with 65 per cent of it forested. Over half (3.4 million hectares) of the region’s forests were in private ownership, spread across thousands of individual holdings, according to NSW Dept. of Primary Industries (DPI).
The north coast had a diverse array of forest types and most of the tree cover was estimated to be between >20 to <30 metres and >30 to <40 metres in height across an est. 20,706 square kilometres.
This is how the Berejiklian Government saw those forests within the Northern Rivers region before the mega bushfires came through:
Extent of forest cover in north-east New South Wales
Again, according to the DPI in March 2019; Properties with native forests that generated ‘very high’ stumpage values (based on their yield association) were mainly located between Coffs Harbour and Casino. Properties with native forests with ‘high’ stumpage values were far more widespread extending in a broad band (50-100 kilometres wide) along the full length of the north coast.
Properties in early 2019 which had a ‘Very High’ suitability for timber production were located between 50km and 100km from the coast between Grafton and the Queensland Border, with ‘High’ suitability properties occupying a broader band that extended from Coffs Harbour to the Queensland border. At its widest point, west of Casino, this band is said to extend 130 kilometres inland.
Joint EPA-Dept. of Industry Forest Science Unit predictive mapping of remaining NSW koala habitat based on sighting records, vegetation, soils and climate
"Modelling koala habitat", NSW EPA. July 2019 |
It is easy to see that most of the remaining Northern Rivers koala habitat falls within those areas with operating timber mills and land on which the NSW Forestry Corporation has cast its rapacious eye.
According to the NSW Forestry Corporation around 60 per cent of the net harvest area available for timber production in the Northern Rivers region was impacted by fires during the 2019-2020 bushfire season, but this corporation appears to view a coastal strip around 100kms wide and 216kms long - containing thousands of parcels of private land - as able post-fires to supply it with commercial timber for years to come.
The forestry industry is actively lobbying government for access to more native timber citing increased employment as one benefit.
Despite the fact that Australia-wide the forestry industry appears to only employ around 10,700 people in a potential 2020 workforce of est. 13.5 million (ABS September 2020) and, according to industry reports; The Forestry and Logging industry has performed poorly over the past five years. Industry output is projected to decline at an annualised 1.3% over the period, with downstream demand also weakening…..
Furthermore, lower demand from log sawmilling, and declines in residential building construction have contributed to several years of revenue declines. Industry revenue is expected to decline at an annualised 1.4% over the five years through 2020-21, to $4.7 billion.
What this all means is that stressed koala communities already competing with urban expansion, increased traffic, historical and recent habitat loss, are now being threatened by the business strategy of one of the largest forestry corporations in Australia, the financial self-interest of around 32 operating timber mills within the Northern Rivers region, as well as the political self-interest of 12 National Party members who sit in the NSW Legislative Assembly and 6 National Party members sitting in the Legislative Council.
This shared self-interest in encapsulated in the bill passed by the Assembly earlier this month and still to be voted on by the Council, the Local Land Services Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2020, which extinguishes state koala habitat protection policy on most NSW land and seeks to (i) allow the commercial logging of native trees to continue unimpeded on private land by circumventing a government review of the private forestry system and (ii) to allow future clearing of native timber on farmland without the need for authorisation under other state legislation, including the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
If any North Coast Voices readers have concerns about the fate of forests and koalas on the NSW North Coast I suggest that they phone or email members of the NSW Legislative Council before Tuesday, 10 November 2020, using the link below which takes you straight to the parliamentary web page which lists the contact details for all 42 members:
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/pages/all-members.aspx?&house=lc&tab=browse
BACKGROUND
Anthony Albanese has a Bachelor of Economics from University of Sydney and Scott Morrison has egg on his face 😂 https://t.co/5tx0SER8UO
Baby Girl has arrived to taxi the kid home pic.twitter.com/EXzEn76jYu
— Mark Duckett (@MarkRDuckett) October 23, 2020
We've now documented 274 community records of koalas within 10kms of Brandy Hill Quarry in the past 6 years (99 in 2020 alone).
— Save Port Stephens Koalas (@savePSkoalas) October 17, 2020
Koalas like this one, snapped near the quarry earlier this year, will lose their homes if @sussanley doesn't #stopbrandyhill.#saveportstephenskoalas pic.twitter.com/7ewC2yKGvZ
Koala resting, Bangalow area NSW IMAGE: Northern Rivers Community Foundation |
In early September 2020 the NSW Nationals parliamentary party threatened to leave the Berejiklian Coalition Government and move to the Independent benches in the NSW Legislative Assembly, the Lower House of the NSW Parliament, if the NSW Liberal parliamentary party did not agree to effectively gut State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019.
Although there were only 12 members of the National Party sitting in the Legislative Assembly, Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian caved into this threatening political posturing within days.
All
the National Party members of the NSW Legislative Assembly were
present for the vote.
This
is the Hansard
record of that final third reading vote placed in
alphabetical order with members’ electorates identified:
AYES Anderson,
K – Nationals (Tamworth
electorate) Barilaro,
J – Nationals (Monaro electorate) Bromhead,
S – Nationals (Myall Lakes electorate) Cooke,
S (teller) – Nationals (Cootamundra
electorate) Gulaptis,
C – Nationals (Clarence electorate) Johnsen,
M – Nationals (Upper Hunter electorate) Marshall,
A – Nationals (Northern Tablelands
electorate) Pavey,
M – Nationals (Oxley electorate) Provest,
G -Nationals (Tweed electorate) Saunders,
D – Nationals (Dubbo electorate) Singh,
G – Nationals (Coffs Harbour
electorate) Toole,
P – Nationals (Bathurst electorate) Ayres,
S – Liberal (Penrith
electorate) Berejiklian,
G – Liberal (Willoughby
electorate) Clancy,
J – Liberal (Albury
electorate) Conolly,
K – Liberal (Riverstone
electorate) Constance,
A – Liberal (Bega
electorate) Coure,
M – Liberal (Oatley
electorate) Crouch,
A (teller) – Liberal (Terrigal
electorate) Davies,
T – Liberal ( electorate) Dominello,
V – Liberal (Ryde
electorate) Elliot,
D – Liberal (Baulkham
electorate) Evans,
L - Liberal (Heathcoast
electorate) Gibbons,
M – Liberal (Holsworthy
electorate) Griffin,
J – Liberal (Manly
electorate) Hancock,
S – Liberal (South
Coast electorate) Hazzard,
B – Liberal (Wakehurst
electorate) Henskens,
A – Liberal (Kur-ring-gai
electorate) Kean,
M – Liberal (Hornsby
electorate) Lee,
G – Liberal (Parramatta
electorate) Lindsay,
W – Liberal (East
Hills electorate) Perrottet,
D – Liberal (Epping
electorate) Preston,
R – Liberal (Hawkesbury
electorate) Petinos,
E – Liberal (Miranda
electorate) Roberts,
A – Liberal (Lane
Cove electorate) Sidgreaves,
P – Liberal (Camden
electorate) Sidoti,
J – Liberal (Drummoyne
electorate) Smith,
N – Liberal (Wollondilly
electorate) Speakman,
M – Liberal (Cronulla
electorate) Stokes,
R – Liberal (Pittwater
electorate) Taylor,
M – Liberal (Seven
Hills electorate) Tuckerman,
W – Liberal (Goulburn
electorate) Upton,
G – Liberal (Vaucluse
electorate) Ward,
G – Liberal (Kiama
electorate) Williams,
L – Liberal (Port
Macquarie electorate) Williams,
R– Liberal (Castle
Hill electorate) McGirr,
J – Independent
(Wagga
Wagga electorate) Butler,
R - Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (Barwon
electorate) Dalton,
H - Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (Murray
electorate) Donato,
P - Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (Orange
electorate) I invite readers to remember these names at the next NSW state election on Saturday, 25 March 2023.
On
21 October 2020 members of the NSW Berejiklian Government in the
Lower House voted on the Local Land Services Amendment
(Miscellaneous) Bill 2020.
Koala joey riding on its mother's back
IMAGE: Environmental Defender's Office
Clarence Valley Independent, 21 October 2020:
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has commenced five prosecutions in the Land and Environment Court against Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCN) for allegedly breaching licence requirements in 2018.
Allegedly committed by FCN’s contractors, the offences – the felling of trees in exclusion zones and protected areas, some of which are specifically set up to protect koala habitat – took place in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest (west southwest of Glenreagh).
The FCN states in a media release that it had set aside “three times” the required kola habitat “under the rule set” and that the “EPA’s allegations relate to nine trees”, despite “protecting an additional 6,000 trees”.
The prosecutions follow the EPA issuing a stop work order on Saturday July 18, to cease tree harvesting, in compartments 32, 33 and 34 of the forest, where “serious breaches of forestry operations rules” were alleged to have been committed.
The EPA alleges that the current alleged breaches occurred in compartments 539 and 540 of the forest, in breach of Forestry Corporation’s licence.
The EPA’s acting chief executive officer, Jacqueleine Moore, said it was unacceptable to put vulnerable species, such as the koala, in danger by breaking the rules.
“We have strict procedures in place to protect wildlife, and if they are disregarded it can put these animals under threat,” Ms Moore said.
The EPA alleges that: Forestry Corporation’s contractors felled trees and operated snig tracks (tracks created by harvesting machinery) within a koala high use area exclusion zone located within Compartment 539 of the forest; and, contractors felled trees in protected rainforest areas and an exclusion zone around warm temperate rainforest.
Offences relating to koala exclusion zones carry a maximum penalty of $440,000 each; the other “three offences carry a maximum penalty of $110,000 each”.
“In this instance, after a long investigation process that involved interviews and a consultation process with Forestry Corporation, the EPA has decided that these actions warrant prosecution,” Ms Moore said.
“We’re sending a strong message that laws created to protect the environment, and in particular vulnerable species like the koala, must be adhered to.”…..
It should be noted that NSW state forests are exempt from the provisions of State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala HabitatProtection) 2019 (amended 3 September & 16 October 2020), as is private land being commercially logged under a private native forestry plan.
Exemptions go further and it appears all land now listed as "any area of the State" in Part 5A below (apart from certain land in Ballina, Coffs Harbour City, Lismore, Kempsey & Port Stephens local government areas) is no longer covered by the Koala Habitat Protection SEPP under amendments to NSW Land Services Act 2013 being rammed through state parliament by the NSW National Party.
It seems that this may possibly only leave urban land already covered by a local government registered development control plan and the national park estate with a certain degree of protection
PART 5A - LAND MANAGEMENT (NATIVE VEGETATION)
This Part applies to any area of the State, other than the following--
(a) urban areas of the State to which State Environmental Planning Policy (Vegetation in Non-Rural Areas) 2017 applies,
(b) national park estate and other conservation areas, namely--
(i) a wilderness area declared under the Wilderness Act 1987 , or
(ii) land reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 or acquired by the Minister administering that Act under Part 11 of that Act, or
(iii) land dedicated or set apart as a flora reserve under the Forestry Act 2012 (or any Act repealed by that Act), or
(iv) land to which an interim heritage order or listing on the State Heritage Register under the Heritage Act 1977 applies, or
(v) a declared area of outstanding biodiversity value under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 , or
(vi) an area declared to be critical habitat under Division 3 of Part 7A of the Fisheries Management Act 1994 , or
(vii) a declared World Heritage property within the meaning of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 of the Commonwealth, or
(viii) land dedicated or reserved under the Crown Lands Act 1989 for similar public purposes for which land is reserved, declared or listed under the other Acts referred to in this paragraph, or
(ix) land to which an interim protection order under Part 11 (Regulatory compliance mechanisms) of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 applies, or
(x) Lord Howe Island,
(c) State forestry land, namely--
(i) land that is a State forest or timber reserve under the Forestry Act 2012 , or
(ii) land acquired under Division 4 of Part 3 of the Forestry Act 2012 for the purposes of a State forest (not being any such land acquired for the purposes of a timber plantation).
The regulations may amend this section for the purposes of adding or removing areas of the State to which this Part applies (or of revising references to areas of the State). [my yellow highlighting]
Clarence Valley Independent, 20 October 2020:
Koalas will have more protection but farmers and foresters won’t be saddled with unreasonable red tape following the introduction of a much improved State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) into State Parliament last Thursday (October 15), according to Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis.
“The Local Land Services Amendment Bill 2020” is a vast improvement on what was proposed initially and a win not just for the Nationals, but also for farmers, the timber industry and indeed koalas,” Mr Gulaptis said.
“I was prepared to walk away from the Government over the original Liberal Party plan, but this is a terrific compromise secured by the Nationals in NSW Government, in which rural industries are protected but property developers will be banned from disturbing koala habitat.
“As I said before, the red tape stops at the farm gate and that is how it should be,” Mr Gulaptis concluded.
This is a précis the final 16 October 2020 version of the amended NSW SEPP, State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019:
Provisions in Local Land Services Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2020 have little or nothing to do with protecting koalas or farmers with koalas on their land - despite the Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis attempting to marry the Koala Habitation Protection SEPP and this Land Services amendment in the public's mind.
What the Local Land Services Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2020 actually does is remove all local government areas from the protection of State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019 with the exception of just five local government areas - Ballina, Coffs Harbour City, Kempsey, Lismore and Port Stephens.
The NSW Nationals wanted the bill to go forward using the Koala Habitat Protection SEPP as the excuse masking its real intent - to establish as law those clauses that (i) allow the commercial logging of native trees to continue unimpeded on private land by circumventing a government review of the private forestry system and (ii) to allow future clearing of native timber on farmland without the need for authorisation under other state legislation, including the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 .
On 20 October 2020 the NSW Parliament’s Legislation Review Committee stated in part of the impending legislation of which Gulaptis now so proudly boasts:
The [Land Services] Bill seeks to remove several requirements for land owners to obtain development consent under Parts 4 and 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (the EPA Act). In doing so, the Committee notes that the Bill would remove local councils' ability to assess development applications, engage with relevant neighbour and community stakeholders, and make recommendations regarding the proposed development changes. It may thereby impact on the rights of these stakeholders to participate in such processes and be consulted about issues that may affect them…... [my yellow highlighting]
Chris Gulaptis is boasting of bad law and misrepresenting exactly what is contained in the new legislation to residents and voters in his electorate.
This former surveyor, property developer and mining operations consultant voted for the extinction of a unique species, the Australian Koala, and for virtually unconstrained land clearance which will see many more native species at threat of extinction in New South Wales.
🐨💖 a special moment - Young Webster was found on a bridge nr #Kyogle. #FriendsOfTheKoala 😍 resident girl Charlotte #adoptakoala (can't be released - hip dysplasia) has become Webster's surrogate mum 🥰🙏🐨💖 @Matt_KeanMP @naomirwolf beautiful pics by @Bardlee1 #koalarescue pic.twitter.com/XGBAebK8Ay
— Maria Matthes (@talkingkoala) September 30, 2020
Tyler koala this morning was about 80 metres from the proposed Toondah Harbour environmental destruction area, near the proposed new location for the ferry terminal. #toondahharbour #koalas #qldpol #Queensland pic.twitter.com/L8mZ6qInjj— Chris Walker (@WildRedlands) September 24, 2020
Hi! My name is Boy. I'm a male bi-coloured tabby cat. Ever since I discovered that Malcolm Turnbull's dogs were allowed to blog, I have been pestering Clarencegirl to allow me a small space on North Coast Voices.
A false flag musing: I have noticed one particular voice on Facebook which is Pollyanna-positive on the subject of the Port of Yamba becoming a designated cruise ship destination. What this gentleman doesn’t disclose is that, as a principal of Middle Star Pty Ltd, he could be thought to have a potential pecuniary interest due to the fact that this corporation (which has had an office in Grafton since 2012) provides consultancy services and tourism business development services.
A religion & local government musing: On 11 October 2017 Clarence Valley Council has the Church of Jesus Christ Development Fund Inc in Sutherland Local Court No. 6 for a small claims hearing. It would appear that there may be a little issue in rendering unto Caesar. On 19 September 2017 an ordained minister of a religion (which was named by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in relation to 40 instances of historical child sexual abuse on the NSW North Coast) read the Opening Prayer at Council’s ordinary monthly meeting. Earlier in the year an ordained minister (from a church network alleged to have supported an overseas orphanage closed because of child abuse claims in 2013) read the Opening Prayer and an ordained minister (belonging to yet another church network accused of ignoring child sexual abuse in the US and racism in South Africa) read the Opening Prayer at yet another ordinary monthly meeting. Nice one councillors - you are covering yourselves with glory!
An investigative musing: Newcastle Herald, 12 August 2017: The state’s corruption watchdog has been asked to investigate the finances of the Awabakal Aboriginal Local Land Council, less than 12 months after the troubled organisation was placed into administration by the state government. The Newcastle Herald understands accounting firm PKF Lawler made the decision to refer the land council to the Independent Commission Against Corruption after discovering a number of irregularities during an audit of its financial statements. The results of the audit were recently presented to a meeting of Awabakal members. Administrator Terry Lawler did not respond when contacted by the Herald and a PKF Lawler spokesperson said it was unable to comment on the matter. Given the intricate web of company relationships that existed with at least one former board member it is not outside the realms of possibility that, if ICAC accepts this referral, then United Land Councils Limited (registered New Zealand) and United First Peoples Syndications Pty Ltd(registered Australia) might be interviewed. North Coast Voices readers will remember that on 15 August 2015 representatives of these two companied gave evidence before NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No. 6 INQUIRY INTO CROWN LAND. This evidence included advocating for a Yamba mega port.
A Nationals musing: Word around the traps is that NSW Nats MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has been talking up the notion of cruise ships visiting the Clarence River estuary. Fair dinkum! That man can be guaranteed to run with any bad idea put to him. I'm sure one or more cruise ships moored in the main navigation channel on a regular basis for one, two or three days is something other regular river users will really welcome. *pause for appreciation of irony* The draft of the smallest of the smaller cruise vessels is 3 metres and it would only stay safely afloat in that channel. Even the Yamba-Iluka ferry has been known to get momentarily stuck in silt/sand from time to time in Yamba Bay and even a very small cruise ship wouldn't be able to safely enter and exit Iluka Bay. You can bet your bottom dollar operators of cruise lines would soon be calling for dredging at the approach to the river mouth - and you know how well that goes down with the local residents.
A local councils musing: Which Northern Rivers council is on a low-key NSW Office of Local Government watch list courtesy of feet dragging by a past general manager?
A serial pest musing: I'm sure the Clarence Valley was thrilled to find that a well-known fantasist is active once again in the wee small hours of the morning treading a well-worn path of accusations involving police, local business owners and others.
An investigative musing: Which NSW North Coast council is batting to have the longest running code of conduct complaint investigation on record?
A fun fact musing: An estimated 24,000 whales migrated along the NSW coastline in 2016 according to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the migration period is getting longer.
A which bank? musing: Despite a net profit last year of $9,227 million the Commonwealth Bank still insists on paying below Centrelink deeming rates interest on money held in Pensioner Security Accounts. One local wag says he’s waiting for the first bill from the bank charging him for the privilege of keeping his pension dollars at that bank.
A Daily Examiner musing: Just when you thought this newspaper could sink no lower under News Corp management, it continues to give column space to Andrew Bolt.
A thought to ponder musing: In case of bushfire or flood - do you have an emergency evacuation plan for the family pet?
An adoption musing: Every week on the NSW North Coast a number of cats and dogs find themselves without a home. If you want to do your bit and give one bundle of joy a new family, contact Happy Paws on 0419 404 766 or your local council pound.