Logan and Albert Conservation Association

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.

Matthew Killoran and Brenton Waters co-authored an aticle in the Jimboomba Times Wednesday 18June 2008 page 3. Local residents are most perturbed to read that Phil Pidgeon is supporting the inclusion of this Enterprise Precinct after they 'won over' the former local government body - Beaudesert Shire Council - with the assistance of the local councillor for that area Division 4 - Cr Hajnal Ban.

 The text of the article reads

COUNCILLORS Hajnal Ban and Phil Pidgeon are headed for a clash over the North Maclean Enterprise Precinct as council (Logan City)works on its submission for the South East Queensland Regional Plan review. Industrial development plans for North Maclean drew widespread outrage when they were included in the State Government's initial South East Queensland Regional Plan.
At the time, the issue split the then Beaudesert Shire Council with Cr Ban arguing passionately against the proposal, despite several of her colleagues at first disapproving of her stance. Cr Ban, who sided with residents upset by the proposal. was e\ventually successful in winning oyer her colleagues who voted in favour of informing the State Government's now defunct Office of Urban Management (OCM) that the precinct was not needed.
The issue is set to reignite however after the enterprise precinct was included in the regional plan rev'iew, currently under way. Cr Ban said the "contentious" proposal should be removed permanently from the plan. "It's been a bone of contention for a number of years:' she said.
"Beaudesert Shire Council had a submission that the precinct be removed from the next review of the plan. ''I'm hopeful Logan City Council will adopt the position as well and support the removal of this precinct." However, Cr Ban may struggle to gain the support of all of her fellow colleagues with at least one speaking out against her position.
Cr Pidgeon has backed the precinct plans which he said could spark investment in North Maclean. "I think there has been significant ad hoc development in that area and my position is that it is a great idea to consolidate that," he said.
"It makes a lot of common sense to consolidate it and allow a bit more development on both sides of the highway to happen. I can't understand Cr Ban's position. Where would she suggest industry be located if not beside the highway? Does she want to put it in residential areas?"
Cr Pidgeon said the issue was yet to come to full council but when it did he expected a "very informed" debate to take place. Council is developing a submission on the South East Queensland Regional Plan as part of the State Government's review, but details will be kept confidential.

This statement of confidentiality does not foster confidence in openness and transparency in government. The stated intention of the SEQ Regional Plan is to contain urban sprawl. "Very informed" debate can only take place when data has been collected, read and digested by those debating the issues. This was one of the residents' initial concerns - availability of sufficienct ground truthed data.

 A copy of the former council's media release is available here and says in part

"It is Council's opinion that the North Maclean Investigation Area is not required for enterprise purposes for the foreseeable future." By removing the enterprise precinct designation, the land would revert to regional landscape and rural production. "We now know that there will be a good balance between jobs and the population growth in our new cities and are able to clarify our long-term intent for the development of this land at North Maclean," Cr Cockburn said.
He said the State Government had originally designated North Maclean as an investigation area for a possible enterprise precinct in its South East Queensland Regional Plan.
Cr Hajnal Ban said she was happy with the outcome, given the environmental constraints of the land and residents' feelings on the issue. "I am pleased that the outcome has finally been determined. It gives the local community certainty about the future of North Maclean. I would also like to acknowledge the hard
work and effort put in by the community who actively participated throughout this process and fought against the enterprise precinct."

The local community must be given the opportunity to be involved if Logan City Council want to overturn the community wishes which were supported by their previous local government.

A report from the Australian Senate inquiry into housing affordability was released 16 June 2008. The report, public hearings and transcripts, terms of reference and membership can all be viewed or downloaded  from this Senate webpage. Read the whole report here.

NAIDOC celebrates the survival of Indigenous culture and the Indigenous contribution to modern Australia. All Australians are encouraged to participate in NAIDOC Week activities. NAIDOC Week celebrations for 2008 will be held from 6 to 13 July and in 2009 will be held from 5 to 12 July.

The NAIDOC website is an excellent place to start

The State Government push to open up more Greenfield developments has given the green light for an aggressive push by developers to urbanize vast tracks of land.

In Redlands, Woodlands Drive is one of the most picturesque areas, protected from urban development by the Redlands Local Planning Scheme, but it hasn't stopped the State Government nominating it as a potential site for urbanization. The consequence is that developers have lodged a development application for commercial and residential development over this beautiful area.

The petition of residents of the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the House issues relating to the proposed fast-tracking of Greenfield housing developments on the Sunshine Coast. [Though this petition relates to Sunshine Coast all Queensland residents are eligible to vote. Perhaps other petitions can be requested to cover other areas where land will be fast tracked for release?] Closing date was 24 August 2008.

The Sunshine Coast Environment Council has launched a campaign in response to the Premier (Anna Bligh) announcing that Greenfield sites will be fast tracked for development within the next 12 months. One of the many aspects of this campaign is to send bulk letters to the Council of Mayors urging them to ‘band together' and say NO to the State Governments' inept plan. It focuses on South East Queensland (not just the Sunshine Coast).

ABC online news provides coverage of the issues surrounding use of agricultural chemicals across Australia. Our local area is not alone with these concerns. The Tasmanian forestry industry has described proposed changes to chemical spray regulations as a knee-jerk reaction to please a vocal minority. Buffer areas and prior notification, no go zones near schools homes and workplaces may become mandatory. Time to comment has been extended to end July 2008. Read more here. Image from ABC TV file photo.

 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.

In response to expressed community concerns Mr Kevin Lingard, member for Beaudesert raised a QUESTION ON NOTICE Wednesday 30 April 2008 as follows.