Logan and Albert Conservation Association

As part of the Silent Voices forum, attendees received an invitation to meet with Mayor Pam Parker and Division 11 Councillor Hajnal Ban. Come along and  Share a cuppa with the Mayor

When       Friday 21 November 2008

Where     Zarraffa's Coffee Shop Cusack Lane Jimboomba (near Coles).

Council's website advises that Division Six residents will have the opportunity to chat with Councillor Luke Smith during two community consultation days planned for November. See website for details. Bookings were needed for 2 days - 20 and 21 November. If successful, Cr Smith will continue to meet with residents in Loganholme and Bethania on a regular basis throughout 2009. Former Beaudesert Shire residents had monthly  'councillor access meetings'.

Seems this is not a common practice in Logan. We really appreciated knowing that opportunity was available - without booking. Are Logan councillors too busy to schedule some community access time?

Community groups in far north Queensland are very alarmed at the Premier's recent announcement that the draft FNQ2025 Plan would be amended to allow large scale tourism developments outside the urban footprint.
News reports state that accommodation for up to 250 people and accompanying facilities with a floor area of no more than 4000sqm will be allowed outside the Cairns urban footprint, as long as they are not in areas of high ecological significance or on good-quality agricultural land.
Small-scale developments such as backpacker hostels and farm stays, which are already allowed, will have the option of taking in up to 100 people and have larger facilities.
Community is very concerned at the watering down of urban sprawl constraints under the Plan and the potential damage to sensitive areas which warrant
protection. While the formal submission period on FNQ2025 has ended, CAFNEC wants to keep up the pressure for amendment of FNQ2025 so that it protects wildlife corridors and important habitat, especially for cassowaries.
Join the campaign by sending a letter to the Deputy Premier using the points suggested in this letter by CAFNEC here.

Current opportunities to support current Queensland Parliamentary  EPetitions  are available here including  recycled sewerage effluent, daylight savings, Gold Coast Hospital,light rail for Brisbane, proposed destruction of Fairy house to upgrade roads, mining in Wildlife Reserves.

Other opportunities to comment and help shape our future are available online as follows:

The federal government’s discussion paper on improving fuel efficiency of Australian vehicles is open for comment until 7 November 2008. See www.environment.gov.au/settlements/transport/

According to Minister for Natural Resources and Water Queensland has a number of river systems which have been almost untouched by development and are therefore in near natural condition, with all, or almost all, of their natural values intact. They are important because they:
• help sustain healthy ecosystems for native plants and animals
• support sustainable economic activities, such as grazing, fishing and eco-tourism
• provide unique opportunities for recreation and tourism.
One way of preserving this valuable part of our natural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations is to designate them as ‘declared wild rivers'.

 Do you agree with this statement?  Read more about this process and have a say. You can do this online from here.

ANEDO the Australian Network of Environmental Defenders Offices Inc  consists of nine independently constituted and managed community environmental law centres located in each State and Territory of Australia. Each EDO is dedicated to protecting the environment in the public interest.

They provide legal representation and advice, take an active role in environmental law reform and policy formulation, and offer a significant education program designed to facilitate public participation in environmental decision making.

For information about State and Territory laws, follow the links from this page or contact the EDO office in your State or Territory for details.

To contact the convenor of the Australian Network of Environmental Defenders Offices about national or international issues, please

e-mail the ANEDO Convenor edonsw[at]edo.org.au.

The National EDO Network is involved in numerous environmental policy initiatives. It is constantly reviewing existing laws in order to identify deficiencies and promote environmentally friendly law reform. It makes frequent submissions to governments on regulatory developments. Submissions can be accessed from this page including EPBC Act Submission, Submission on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper and many more.

EDO [Environmental Defenders Office] Queensland releases a monthly bulletin in conjunction with EDO North Queensland to keep members and the public in touch with the latest developments in environmental and planning law and to inform the community of our activities. To subscribe to our Bulletin free of charge, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The October bulletin has been emailed to subscribers. Previous and informative environmental news policy and legislation is available from the website here.

October Bulletin includes update about Paradise Dam case, False Cape, recent EDO law reform submissions on climate change, FNQ2025, "clean coal" ...and opportunities to comment. Further information is available here.

The full Living Planet Report 2008 goes into detail about the many ways humans are depleting our natural capital. The Living Planet Report, which is published every two years, is produced with the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network  and I encourage readers to download and examine the full document. More information and report download link are available here.

But the good news is that we have the means to reverse the ecological devastation. The report outlines how we can put ourselves on a more sustainable path via global strategies.

For example, with carbon emissions from fossil fuel use noted as the greatest component of humanity's footprint, the report outlines how energy efficiency and clean energy generation can help deliver a more sustainable future. The global carbon footprint has grown more than 10-fold since 1961.

"We humans have been very good at creating problems - but we can be equally good at solving them. A sustainable world is not an unachievable goal. As the world looks to restore its economies we must build in long-term environmental as well as economic sustainability and social sustainability."

Sustainablity must be measured as ecological sustainability - not purely economic. Each one of us has a part to play in the future of our planet - our home that we share with millions of other species.

Residents living in western areas of Logan were invited to attend community forums held in Greenbank, Jimboomba and Logan Village. Council invited us to share your thoughts about life in our local area and how it could be improved or enhanced. The forum outcomes will inform service providers and Council of the projects the community considers most important.The outcomes will be collated and published on councils' website.

The big question is will they actually hear what we say and try to process further actions to meet our needs? Last forum was held at Greenbank Rural Fire Brigade, Ison Road  Wednesday 12 November, 2008.

We also said that we valued our rural lifestyle and quality of life granted by benefits of both bush beauty and ecosystem services.

The current Queensland government lead by Premier Bligh is proposing a vision for Queensland in 2020 called Towards Q2.  Do you share the same vision? What is important to you and your community? This link takes you to the website for Tomorrow's Queensland where you can read what Queenslanders have said already at the several community forums held around the state. Three more forums are planned - last one in SEQ is 3 November at Yeronga in Brisbane. Go online for details to register. Last forum is 5 November - so use the date to be guided for closing date for ideas to have your say. 

Fill in the online form which guides you to comment on the the 2 targets nominated by the Bligh government team for each area of economy, environment, education, health and communities. OR you can mail directly to the Premier at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Where do toxic industries fit in this vision? Not mentioned. Where does farming and food security fit in? Not mentioned. What does 50% more mean for nature conservation and public recreation? Is that measurable?  Your input can help to address your concerns. Lets find out if the government hears what we say!

The comments from the Logan forum are available here. All feedback is here.

 The SouthEast Queensland Regional Plan Review - 12 months earlier than originally planned is expected beginning December 2008. This will involve more "community consultation" opportunities. Please try to find time to participate in sharing ideas and growing our children's future on our single planet.

Scenic Rim Regional Council media release of 24 October, 2008 states: COUNCIL WORKING WITH STATE GOVERNMENT ON BROMELTON VISION. The previous day's copy of the Courier Mail presented a differing view stating that the Government is considering a tract of land within the new Bromelton State Development Area, south of Beaudesert, to house what it terms "special industry". The full article is online here.

SRRC media release reads as follows:

Scenic Rim Regional Council will continue its work with the State Government to develop Bromelton State Development Area (SDA) as an environmentally sensitive inland port and industrial hub for South East Queensland.
The Bromelton SD Area was officially gazetted by the State Government in August. Since then, the State Development Area Unit has participated in Council's structure planning process for the area. The Structure Plan, scheduled to be available for public comment in early 2009, will inform the State's Development Scheme for Bromelton SDA.
The Mayor, Cr John Brent, said while the State Government was currently assessing Bromelton's suitability for high impact industry, he was confident the study would show these uses were inappropriate for the area.

Channel 9s Extra program Wednesday 22 October had a segment promoting this weekend's koala sightings PHONE IN for Redlands and inviting all other SEQ areas to report sightings this weekend as well. If you see a koala - dead or alive - phone in to report  where you have seen it. The information that local residents have provides vital information about koala movements.  Thanks to the people manning the phone and all koala carers for taking this action.

Phone 3820 1103 Koala Hotline

THE REDLAND KOALA ACTION GROUP, WITH THE SUPPORT OF REDLAND CITY COUNCIL AND THE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AGENCY, IS RUNNING THE ANNUAL PHONE-IN KOALA SURVEY ON SATURDAY & SUNDAY OCTOBER 25TH AND 26TH.  IF YOU SEE A KOALA ANYWHERE IN THE REDLANDS [ and other areas of SEQ] ON THESE DAYS, PHONE 3820 1103 BETWEEN 8.00AM AND 5.00PM ON EITHER DAY.