Opportunities for community members to comment on draft government documents, and to read submissions made by LACA and other concerned gorups.
Queensland Transport has engaged Maunsell Australia to undertake preliminary planning and impact assessment for the Southern Freight Rail Corridor study (previously known as the Southern Infrastructure Corridor).
The study's aim is to identify a potential route for a freight rail corridor connecting the western railway near Rosewood to the interstate railway north of Beaudesert (see map below). The Southern Freight Rail Corridor will serve as a major freight link connecting a future Melbourne to Brisbane inland railway with the existing south east Queensland rail freight network. Further information is available at this page.
Draft Assessment report has been released and you are encouraged to have your say by 31 October 2008.
ENDANGERED REGIONAL ECOSYTEM is threatened by subdivision and development application being assessed under out of date planning documents. A copy of this planning scheme is available on Logan's website here. It is a pdf file of 171 pages. It was first published 9 February 1985. The Beaudesert Shire Planning Scheme 2007 (commenced 30 March 2007) can be accessed from this webpage.
SEQ WATER STRATEGY - HAVE YOUR SAY!
The Queensland Water Commission's (QWC) 50 year water supply strategy is nearing the end of its consultation phase. You can read it on the QWC website at www.qwc.qld.gov.au/SEQWS. Public submissions are due by the 31 July.
We encourage you to lodge a submission, as the more submissions QWC receive the more they will take notice of community concerns.
Permanent Water Conservation Measures have been released for consultation. Closing date for feedback was 17 July 2008.
The proposed permanent water conservation measures and Target 230 are designed to embed the efficient use of water into the everyday lives of SEQ residents out of drought. They will ensure we can enjoy our enviable lifestyle and amenities, but in a water efficient manner. Read the document Permanent Water Conservation Measures here (34p) and the consultation paper here.(14p).
Specifically permanent water conservation measures propose that:
Feedback is being sought from community members and an online survey is provided - with 12 questions for comment.
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts has formulated a proposal under Part 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) to amend the List of Specimens taken to be Suitable for Live Import . A draft assessment report has been prepared by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) against the terms of reference approved by the Minister. The draft report assesses the suitability of import of the Savannah Cat into Australia. Comments were invited on the draft report for 20 business days, closed on 17 July 2008.
Savannah cats, which can weigh more than 13kg, are described in the report as ''the result of selective breeding to establish desirable features (eg: large ears or wild-looking colouration and patterns) or temperament suitable for demand of the companion cat market''.
Mr Garrett said the report suggested the potential breeding in of wildcat genes to the existing feral cat population could lead to even more killing of Australian native animals. Savannah cats are a cross between a serval, which is an African wildcat, and a domestic cat and they can grow much larger than normal domestic cats. This report notes that there is potential for these cats to adapt to the Australian environment. Estimates suggest there could already be up to 12 million feral cats across Australia and they are already one of the single biggest killers of Australian native animals. The report also suggests that the potential breeding-in of wildcat genes to existing feral cat populations could see them develop even better hunting skills.
The minister said he would not hesitate to use his powers to prohibit the importation of the cats ''if it is necessary to protect the environment''.
Mr Garrett has allowed 20 working days for comment on the draft report.
WPSQ has made a submission to the federal government commenting the proposal to amend the List of Specimens Taken to be Suitable for Live Import (Live Import List) urging a ban on the import of savannah cats. WPSQ is urging a blanket change to the legislation that defines all 5th generation hybrids as domestic.
Visit the web page Savannah cats: the case against importation to read more about this issue.
RSPCA Australia has commented that allowing Savannah cats, which are currently classed as domesticated after five generations of breeding from their wild ancestors, into Australia would be a huge mistake.
Australian veterinarians have also commented strongly against the importation of more wild-domestic pet hybrids like the savannah cats currently in quarantine.
The report Draft environmental assessment of the suitability of the import of the Savannah Cat (Domestic Cat x Serval hybrid specimens) into Australia 19 June 2008 is available online here.
Comments received and any relevant additional information provided will be considered by DEWHA in finalising the assessment report.
Submissions should be in writing and sent to
Director
Exotic Species Regulation Section
Wildlife Branch
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601
or to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Australian wildlife is already endangered by many threats - habitat clearing, climate change, introduced feral animals.
Senator Christine Milne from the Green presented a petition to the federal government 26 June 2008. This is available in Hansard. This petition can be accessed here. This was begun by an online herpetology discussion group.
The University of Sydney's professor of ecology, Chris Dickman, is warning these hybrid cats would be uncontrollable in Australia. "It hasn't come in through the usual quarantine processes or risk assessments that would otherwise need to be done." Forty of the nation's leading feral animal researchers are calling for urgent changes to prevent hybrid supercats from being imported into Australia.
The Australian environment is suffering from the humble domestic cat gone feral. Imagine the carnage from a bigger stronger feral cat bred from an already wild animal.
For more coverage on this topic see news from Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre's CEO Tony Peacock at this site and petitions both for and against importation.
Information on the damage feral cats are currently doing is provided at this cat facts page.
Help stop the importation of hybrid cats such as "Savannah cats"! Please participate by signing the petition and let the Honorable Peter Garret, Minister for Environment, Heritage and The Arts and the Senate know that these hybrid killing machines don't belong here or comment on the draft report by 17 July 2008.
An African Serval is the most efficient wild cat hunter in Africa. Australia's quarantine regulations make it legal for a cat that is only five generations away from a purebred serval to come into the country. In a 2007 paper in Science, Carlos Driscoll of Oxford University showed that domestication of the cat probably began 12,000 years ago and was completed 8,000 years ago. New designer breeds of cat didn't exist 25 years ago.
Keeping your cat inside or in a cattery - see more here and here - will keep your pet safe and also protect our wildlife.
Housing sustainability is the issue that "literally goes to the heart of how we live", the state's planning minister Paul Lucas said, putting forward a proposal to toughen sustainability measures in housing design. Mr Lucas said the kernel of the proposal, Improving Sustainable Housing in Queensland, was a requirement that new houses built from 2009 achieve a five-star energy efficiency rating by improving water conservation, using insulation and natural lighting.
He said inefficient housing design and outdated building codes resulted in higher energy costs and harmful impacts on the environment. Submissions close September 12.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas in a recent media release said that the great value of the current SEQ Regional Plan is its protection of 80 per cent of the region from urban development. Closing date for comment on this initial stage was Friday 6 June COB (close of business) and the proforma is here.
Call for submissions
The Honourable Paul Lucas, Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning; the Honourable Desley Boyle Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry; and the Honourable Andrew McNamara, Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation are proposing to prepare a State Planning Policy (SPP) under the Integrated Planning Act 1997. The SPP will provide a statewide framework for appropriate planning and regulation of land use surrounding high impact industries, with the aim of minimising the potential for land use conflicts and adverse impacts on the environment. The Department of Infrastructure and Planning invites submissions on: the issues to be addressed by the SPP and how those issues should be addressed. The closing date for submissions was COB Wednesday 11 June 2008. More information is available on the Department of Infrastructure and Planning website.
An updated SEQ Regional Plan 2009 - 2031 is in planning now - 12 months earlier than originally planned. A draft will be released in December 2008, with submissions closing end March 2009. HAVE AN INPUT NOW - by Friday 6 June 2008.
The Queensland Government has announced the TransLink Transit Authority will begin operation on 1 July 2008, and identifying what is important to customers and sourcing fresh ideas is a part of this process. By having your say online, you can help create a transit authority that will best meet the needs of South East Queensland. Closing date for submissions is 7 May 2008. To have your say online go to http://www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au/consultqld/
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