Hello Koala Lovers,
For my regular readers, you will know that I was hoping that the Australian Koala Foundation would be invited by Minister Plibersek to attend a two-day consultation on the Federal Government new draft nature laws. I knew we would not be invited. She knows that I do not believe that any changes to the EPBC Act (the federal law that should protect Koala habitat) will be sufficient to suit the Koala. It would be like unpicking a knitted jumper and trying to knit it back again. That is why I am totally committed to the Koala Protection Act and even more so now.
The semi-secret meeting was held in late March and I saw a comment from Birdlife Australia which said: “The current proposals, as they stand, will not fulfil the significant improvement in environmental protection that the Federal Government has promised”. We have no idea of other attendees.
As you would also know that time and time again I say that I am taking the view more and more that our political leaders are encouraging us, the public, to submit documents, send in comments and then ignore us, so they can be seen to be engaging in community consultation. Tick! Smoke and Mirrors almost.
The NSW Minister recently held a Summit too and the AKF did send along one of our scientists. I get the feeling that while the attendees were very vocal about the problems facing Koalas in New South Wales, that nothing concrete will come out of it. Talkfests is how we talk about them in AKF HQ.
We were also asked to respond to a questionnaire and I spoke with the company organising that questionnaire and gleaned that it was not necessarily to comment on the Koala Recovery Plan for NSW, but the science initiatives of the NSW Government. So, they want comments that most of us (including me) could not possibly answer, but do not ask us whether we think the Koala Recovery Plan is suitable and worse still, whether the Great National Koala Park that has been announced, and announced, will ever work (more on that from us later this year).
How would the community have a way of evaluating whether existing, previous or projected science is going to make a significant difference if the current laws in NSW do not stop the Koala forests going down at a faster rate than ever?
My team and I are getting ready for our announcement on the 30th April and in readiness for that date we are evaluating all the measure that all governments are taking to secure the Koala’s future.
I am sad to say that most of it is rhetoric and dare I say trying to make it sound like all is well. I am so disappointed in the current Environment Minister – as I have been with the 14 prior Ministers over my career.
Their interest is to protect industry and over this year we will be making sure you understand how protective they are of industries that presumably donate to them than actually get on with the job of protecting habitats.
Habitat is the horse in front of the cart – without landscape, trees, flood plains, large trees with hollows, all the incredible species of Australia will be lost. Day after day I see that most of our magnificent black parrots numbers are plummeting. One of the most majestic birds in Australia and many live in Koala forests. If you protect Koala forests you protect everything that lives in them.
Date file next week 30th April – and join in a new approach to Koala conservation.
Sincerely,
Deborah