I would also like to acknowledge the significant efforts of the Noosa Parks Association for 50 years of working to preserve what all generations can enjoy in a sustainable balance of environment and controlled development in Noosa and the hinterland.

This is a balance which, after all this time, remains under threat, especially from the Regional Council. Two of the three previous councils encouraged large scale high rise, transforming Caloundra, Mooloolooba, Maroochydore and Coolum while Noosa  followed Bali’s lead in keeping buildings in a perspective that respected the landscape. And the danger is ever greater because Noosa is under-represented by this Council.

I see it as my task – if I am elected – to ensure that our priorities for Noosa prevail. In addressing the five questions, I’d like to put them into a broad context because they are closely interrelated. That context includes ensuring food security in our region – and I include the Mary Valley beacuse many of you would have campaigned against the Labor proposal for Traveston Dam.

The environmental principles were clear:

• preserve unique or endangered species,
• promote the health of the river, and
• protect the world heritage Ramsar wetlands in the waters of Hervey Bay and around Fraser Island.

Yet some of my political opponents who presented themselves as Traveston warriors for the lungfish, the turtles and Mary River cod are silent as the Labor Government dishes out coalmining and CSG exploration permits along Munna Creek that flows into  the Mary at a major turtle area.

“]

Munna Creek [photo: Jim McDonald

Huge areas have been explored at Tiaro along the Mary. In the Tin Can Bay hinterland, drilling has occurred at the junction of Coondoo Creek and Tanunda Creek that flows into the Mary River estuary. Coalmining is imminent near the Susan River outside Maryborough. It also flows into the estuary and dolphins are not unusual in that river. This is not just something that is happening outside our region. It has imminent concern for those of us in Noosa who worry about the possible degradation of the  environment in our region. Because drilling has been carried out at Wolvi. And that’s in our neighbourhood. Indeed the coalfield that is being explored along the Mary River extends from Bundaberg down to Point Arkwright and from the Blackall range out to sea.

These are resources that the coal and gas industries want so much to get their hands on that they don’t care if they encroach on farms or suburbs, as the industry has done in America. And as it is doing on Queensland farms and in Sydney suburbs. Now.

So a Labor Government which gives free reign to miners and drillers, and an LNP which thought protection of the Mary Valley was important at the last election, will allow the ultimate degradation of our environment sustaining some of the most intensive greenhouse gas production industries. The scientific and anecdotal evidence is incontrovertable for responsible legislation. The least that should be done right now is a moratorium on CSG and the immediate cessation of coalmine expansion. No more coal mines! I will take this up in the Parliament as it is Greens policy.

Despite the Federal Government’s legislation designed to slow down emissions, the perspectives of government at all levels are so narrow that opportunities for better husbanding of the land in progressive agriculture are ignored. We should be looking at alternatives for the fallow land bought up by the Government for Traveston dam, and turning the Mary Valley into a regional food bowl, something that I have been calling for in the past two years. And I heard my own words used by Peter Wellington on the radio earlier this week.

This is a proposal for a regional food security strategy designed to deal with climate change. We get none of that. I see food security in our region under threat not only from coal and gas but also from foreign corporations buying up highly productive land often on behalf of foreign governments as part of their food security strategies while Governments in Australia sit on their hands and supermarkets seem to be moving towards becoming net importers of food.

These failures, in my view, represent a betrayal of our nation interest and a betrayal of responsible management of our resources. Policies dealing with the creation of protected marine areas and sustainable fisheries are also related to food security. The marine reserves gazetted by Queensland Government have minimal or no monitoring and policing. State stewardship of our marine resources moves at a snail’s pace. Clearly, for example, commercial netting along the North Shore beachesis unsustainable.  Recreational fishers tell us that – they have been agitating for protection of fish stock in Noosa waters [note: I had a useful discussion with two local commercial fishermen who put a different perspective that indicated that this statement might be incorrect].

What emerges from what I have so far spoken on is a broad vision for the region. One in which we have rapid, frequent, and environmentally efficient light rail transport systems perhaps integrated with low or no emission local buses. My vision includes a link from the light rail to a very fast train service so that instead of a three to four hour journey to Brisbane we can leave home and stand in St George’s Square 90 minutes later – faster than a car trip on an increasingly gridlocked Bruce Highway. Most freight is taken off the roads and delivered across the nation on a very fast freight network.

It’s a low emission vision that is driven by a regional renewable energy grid powered by wind and solar energy, whose costs are approaching that of coal-fired energy in the United States, supplemented by domestic power generation. In our policy there is a stable gross feed-in tariff rather than diminishing net tariffs, and I would propose methane capture from landfill. At the same time, our energy usage habits will have to change. This is something urgent for this decade.

Just how urgent can be seen from the accelerated effects of melting Arctic ice. Plumes of methane released from the sea bed off Siberia, which two years ago were 100 metres across, have grown to 1 kilometre across. It puts the tentative efforts of carbon pricing in Australia into perspective, especially when methane is a more effective global heating agent than CO2 and could accelerate current warming trends.

In doing our regional bit for the environment, the economy of Noosa and the Sunshine Coast must accommodate cleaner industry with businesses or landlords adopting responsibility for renewable energy on their premises where relevant and implementing
green practices to reduce energy consumption.

Our policies for small business encompass incentives for small business practices, goods and services to become ecologically sustainable such as energy efficiency, accessing 100% renewable, green audits, and seed funding through the proceedings of the carbon tax.

Our specific Energy and Climate measures for greenhouse gas emissions set targets which can be built into lregional planning. These include such factors as:

• A binding target of 50% of GHG emissions by 2020 [we are behind in this target]
• A 90% minimum reduction in GHG emissions by 2050
• Ensuring that reductions occur across all sectors
• Replacing the net feed-in tariff with a gross feed-in tariff to help offset the costs of installing small scale renewable energy systems
• Transferring subsidies and government support (including research and development) for coal fired energy to fund research and development on improving energy efficiency, carbon capture through farming practices and developing competitive, large-scale, renewable energy sources such as geothermal power generation, solar power and wind.

I’ve already mentioned some aspects of creating more marine protected areas and making our fisheries sustainable. These include:

• managing recreational and commercial fisheries to maintain sustainable
• populations, and to minimise the environmental impacts of fishing.
• protection of fish nursery habitat.
• environmentally benign aquaculture industries.
• a strategy to maintain adequate, biologically representative, ‘no-take’ areas within each fishery and/or marine bioregion for the conservation of marine biodiversity and fish stocks.

The key is to put funding into the State budget to enforce legislation governing existing protected areas inside the three mile zone, monitoring catch levels and seasonal bans. That has not happened in any serious way. Even the recreational fishing organisation wants better monitoring.

All legislation ought to be fact-based. Environmental legislation, the protection of species and the fisheries needs to be based on science rather than special interests and the vision has to be long-term for the sake of the generations that will follow us. We need on their behalf to jealously guard the future of our reef fish, onshore fishing, the pelagic fisheries such as the Pacific Tuna, the fish in our estuaries, rivers and lakes, from over-exploitation. And we need to follow the science in determining what percentages of fisheries and species need conservation in marine reserves. Our policy is for 30 percent of Australian waters to be included in reserves. This does not constitute a fishing ban: it is an essential element of a management plan.

My contributions in the Parliament will be driven by this vision for Noosa and the region. A vision that is lacking in the old parties. One that reflects today’s challenges to the vision the Noosa Parks Association has spent the best part of half a century pursuing.

Jim McDonald
Greens Candidate Noosa
Address to Noosa Parks Association
24 February 2012 

He said that a statement of principle by the Council opposing coal mining or coal seam gas [CSG] extraction in the region would demonstrate its true concern for the environment.

“Not many people know that the Maryborough Basin, which is presently being prepared for coal mining and CSG in the Mary Valley, extends down to Point Arkwright. I’d be very concerned that open land in Verrierdale, for example, might be exploited for coal or gas.

“People south of Coolum might not know that there is another coal basin, the Nambour Basin, that covers the rest of the Sunshine Coast. These basins with coal reserves extend from the Blackall Range out to sea.

“It is essential for the future integrity of the Sunshine Coast environment and its attraction as a desirable region for people to live in and raise their families that the open land never be degraded by these industries.

“It is generally thought that the coal mining and CSG issues facing farmers and communities in the Darling Downs and NSW have nothing to do with the Sunshine Coast. But exploration has already extended as far south as Wolvi.

“It is no accident that mining magnate, Mr Clive Palmer, is eyeing off the Sunshine Coast.”

Dr McDonald said that he has repeatedly asked LNP MPs to oppose coal mining and CSG in the Mary Valley. He said their silence spoke loudly of their support for the mining industry in our neighbourhood.

He accused the LNP of hypocrisy. “The LNP yelled loud and long against the Traveston Dam and they joined with Mary River activists and The Greens in opposing the dam. Yet when coal companies are exploring the length of the Mary River for coal and CSG, their concern for the environment disappears.

“Every major tributary of the Mary River is being explored, and their concern over Traveston for the health of the Mary River and its unique species has disappeared.

“The Sunshine Coast Regional Council must stand firm against these activities extending into the Sunshine Coast and I urge Mayor Bob Abbott to send a clear message to Labor and the LNP that the Council will lead the community in opposition to mining the Coast.

“The Noosa Greens have actively opposed coal mining along the Mary River and its tributaries. We are concerned for the health of the river, the Mary River Cod, the lungfish and the Mary River Turtle. Coal mining and CSG will threaten the world heritage sea grasslands at the mouth of the river if coal mining is approved.”

Jim McDonald
Greens Candidate, Noosa

http://www.ga.gov.au/oceans/ea_ons_Nmbr.jsp

http://www.ga.gov.au/energy/province-sedimentary-basin-geology/petroleum/offshore-eastern-australia/nambour.html#map

http://www.ga.gov.au/provexplorer/provinceDetails.do?eno=22361

“http://www.ga.gov.au/energy/province-sedimentary-basin-geology/petroleum/offshore-eastern-australia/maryborough.html

http://www.nrm.se/en/menu/researchandcollections/departments/palaeobotany/collections/databases/jaustralia/jaustralialandsb.13786.htm

http://widebaygreens.org/2011/05/the-greens-call-for-a-moratorium-on-coal-seam-gas/

http://widebaygreens.org/2012/01/standing-up-for-the-noosa-biosphere-means-standing-up-for-the-sandy-straits-biosphere/

http://widebaygreens.org/2010/05/queensland-beautiful-one-day-open-cut-coalmines-the-next/

http://actiononcoalandgas.org/

There is no doubt about the immorality of CSG extraction and coalmining on productive land and in people’s homes, but the laws are not geared towards what is best for Australia’s food security, nor what is best for the aquifers and the Great Artesian Basin, nor for the atmosphere as methane leaks, nor for the destruction of family lives and the peace of communities. On these grounds alone you have an absolute reasonable excuse.

The work you have done for the farmers and communities of the Darling Downs is sowing seeds across the country sustained by your’s and the farmers courage to stand up against multi-nationals and Australian companies out for a fast buck whatever the damage they do.

Drew, you should be proud of what you have achieved for all of us in bringing the pernicious industrialisation of our land and its resources to the public consciousness. I am!

Jim McDonald

The Australian Greens have welcomed the release of a report which sets out a blueprint for establishing a network of marine sanctuaries in Australia’s South West Marine Bio-region.

“This report sets the benchmark that must guide the Federal Government’s approach to planning in the SW marine bioregion,” said Greens Marine spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert today.

“The research demonstrates that extensive marine sanctuaries are needed if we are to properly protect the biodiversity of the south west marine bioregional area.

“90% of species in the south west bioregion are found no where else in the world. 50% of the world’s whale and dolphin species use the area. The science shows that large marine sanctuaries need to be established in order to ensure protection of this unique biodiversity,” Senator Siewert said.

The University of Queensland blueprint Systematic Conservation Planning- A Network of Marine Sanctuaries for the South West Marine Region explores the widespread benefits which come from long term marine protection.

“This blueprint not only establishes the basis for marine biodiversity protection, it sets out a future for sustainable fishing, tourism and recreation which should support local industries, preserve fish stocks and protects our existing biodiversity,” Senator Siewert said.

“It is time to stop the scare campaign against marine sanctuaries we saw during the recent federal election and look at the science, not the myths.

“This report highlights that extensive marine protection is needed in our south west oceans, to protect our marine biodiversity and ensure fish stocks into the future,” concluded Senator Siewert.

Executive Summary of the Report can be found here
Full Report here

With the collapse of overseas woodchip markets and the growth of plantation forests, results of a new national poll show unprecedented support for ending logging in Australian native forests.

Launching a new television advertisement calling for an end to native forest logging, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said there had never been a more opportune time for the Commonwealth Government to step in and end conflict over forests forever.

The results of a national Galaxy research poll of 1,100 people show:
* 90% of Australians are in favour of protecting remaining high conservation value forests in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales in national parks.
* 77% agree that the Rudd Government should stop the logging of native forests, which contain large amounts of carbon that would be protected by ending forest clearance
* 72% are in favour of the Federal Government assisting logging contractors to take redundancies, retrain or move permanently to a plantation based industry

“The logging industry is now asking for help to assist workers and companies to shift from unsustainable native forest logging to plantation based forestry,” said Senator Brown.

“The Commonwealth Government should step in.

“Having turned its back on putting a price on greenhouse pollution this is the easiest, simplest way for the Rudd Government to be able to say it has reduced Australia’s greenhouse emissions.

“There is overwhelming public support for the creation of new national parks to protect our precious remaining forests.

“There is no future in native forest logging. Plantation timber is the preference of the global market, and now dinosaur companies like Gunns are in trouble, it is time to end Australian native forest logging forever.”

A meeting of representatives from Australian environment groups convened by Senator Brown last week endorsed the idea that native forest logging should end and that Australia should utilise its existing plantation base for forest products.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown says Australia should follow the ban in New Zealand and Thailand on native forest logging and the new moratorium on logging boreal forest in Canada with an end to logging of native forests here.

“The Rudd government and Abbott opposition should join the Greens in working to transform the logging industry to a plantation-based-future,” Senator Brown said.

“It would be a real breakthrough for Australia and its wildlife, and the opportunity has never so good as now.”

“In Tasmania, Victoria and south-east New South Wales, the end of clear fell logging of high conservation value forests is at hand. The federal and state governments can help workers in the depressed logging industry re-skill or find jobs in elevating these magnificent forests rather than destroying them,” Senator Brown said.

It is Japanese whalers who should be facing charges under Australian law for endangering lives, not Sea Shepherd captain Pete Bethune said Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown.

“It is absolutely unjust that Captain Pete Bethune is facing up to 15 years in prison in Japan,” said Senator Brown.

“Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith cannot remain silent on this case any longer.

“The Australian Federal Police are investigating an official complaint by Sea Shepherd regarding the ramming and sinking of the Ady Gil by Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru 2.

“Under Australian law the captain of the Shonan Maru 2 should be tried and face life imprisonment for his actions, which endangered the lives of six people.

“New Zealand police are investigating a similar complaint under New Zealand law.

Senator Brown wrote again to Foreign Minister Stephen Smith yesterday calling for the Australian Government to do all it can to assist the investigations of the Australian Federal Police.

Responding to news that the New Zealand’s whaling commissioner has decided to support a compromise deal at the International Whaling Commission that will allow whales to be killed, Senator Brown said New Zealand were completely out of touch with public sentiment.

“Like Japan, the New Zealand Government now has whale blood on their hands.”