Stradbroke Terangeri Protection

Stradbroke (Terangeri) Environmental and Cultural Protection Association Inc.

Welcome to our Association’s first newsletter. Many thanks for supporting our Straddie perspective email campaign last year directed to Tanya Plibersek calling for the protection of the Toondah Harbour wetlands at Cleveland. As you know, the campaign was successful.

But now there is a threat to the publicly owned land and wildlife habitat adjacent to the wetlands. Walker Corporation reportedly wants to build 900 high-rise apartments there. Such intense development would adversely impact the nearby wetlands and would likely result in the demise of the local koala population. It also may set the scene for overdevelopment on Stradbroke.

If you are on Straddie next weekend or can come over for the afternoon, this event will be well worth attending:

(If the image does not appear on your device go to the website post to view the the public meeting notice)

Report of our Association’s activities

As this is our first newsletter we considered you may be interested in some of our past and continuing activities following our formation a few years ago.

We are one of a number of groups which make up the Toondah Alliance. Although the Federal Government stopped the proposed wetlands destruction plan, the State Government has not revoked the Toondah Harbour Priority Development Area, so there is more to be done to protect the area and, for example, the Koalas which inhabit eucalypt trees near the ferry terminal. The Toondah Koalas deserve protection too!

The Toondah wetlands, internationally recognised as important habitat for many marine and shorebird species, are part of the Moreton Bay Ramsar site. Did you know that 50% of North Stradbroke Island (Terrangeri) is also part of the Ramsar site? Straddie’s wetlands, lakes and the underground aquifer are important and they extend beyond the Ramsar area. For this reason, the whole of Straddie also is listed in Australia’s Directory of nationally important wetlands. 

These are some highlights of the Association’s activities:

In May, 2023, our Association joined the Toondah Alliance of local and national groups opposing Walker Corporation’s Toondah Harbour Priority Development Area (PDA) proposal.

In August the Association launched a basic website which will be developed over time – see www.straddieprotection.com.

It sets out our main purposes, which include calling for “a moratorium on the implementation of all official development related plans for Stradbroke until a comprehensive, whole of island environmental and cultural management plan is formulated with genuine community participation and consultation, especially with Traditional Owners, and with access to advice from independent experts.”

In October, 2023 we learned of a State Government proposal to grant the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) reserves over “unallocated water” on NSI. There was a very limited time to make submissions on this important issue. We sought an extension of time to make a detailed submission opposing the plan due to the precious nature of the island’s water and the complex ecosystem it supports and nourishes. Our request was refused.

On 6 December, 2023 the Government announced that it had created the reserves in QYAC’s favour. This is likely to lead to additional, large amounts of water being extracted by QYAC, including for profit. Our Association published a response on our website.

On 6 December, 2023 Walker Corp published its final EIS – a document consisting of over 7,500 pages.

Our President and Vice-President, Dale Ruska and Mary Burgess, and other Elders assisted Djarra Delaney with an open letter to Tanya Plibersek opposing the Toondah Harbour proposal and complaining about the lack of consultation with Aboriginal people. It was signed by over 120 Aboriginal people from Terrangeri – a substantial proportion of the population.

This was an important letter because QYAC had supported Walker Corp and its plans for Toondah Harbour in mainstream media and Walker’s EIS made it appear as if it had general support from the Aboriginal community.

In January, 2024 the Association launched its do-gooder email campaign with the assistance of Save Straddie. About 900 people used our email form to ask Tanya Plibersek to reject the Toondah proposal, including for reasons relating to Straddie’s future.

In February, 2024 our Association and Redlands 2030 obtained legal advice from Dr Chris McGrath a barrister and environmental law expert. The advice confirmed our position that Walker’s proposal breached the Ramsar Convention obligation not to delete or restrict boundaries of the Moreton Bay Ramsar site unless for urgent national interests. A real estate development would not qualify.

Dr McGrath concluded that the Minister was in effect prohibited from approving the Walker plan because the EPBC Act obliged her not to act inconsistently with Australia’s Ramsar Convention obligations. The advice was shared with the other members of the Toondah Alliance. It was sent to the Minister and also formed an important part of the Alliance’s response to Walker’s final EIS.

The Alliance’s 37 page response (plus Dr McGrath’s advice) was sent to the Minister on 1 March, 2024.

On 7 March 2024 Alliance representatives, including Dale Ruska and Richard Carew (our Association’s President and Secretary, respectively) met with Tanya Plibersek in Cleveland and each of us addressed her face to face with a prepared submission taking up different aspects. Dale’s address was published by Save Straddie on 8 March and widely shared on social media.

On 9 April the Minister published her proposed decision to reject Walker’s proposal. Our Association put out a media statement published here and shared on social media. It led to media reports, including the Canberra Times report. There also were various television news reports including this Channel 7 news report following a snap media conference held by the Alliance at GJ Walter Park.

On 18 April Walker Corp withdrew its application for Federal approval. In a media statement it said it needed time to determine whether an alternative scheme would be viable.

At a celebratory event at Cleveland’s GJ Walter Park on 29 April, Dale Ruska addressed the crowd. He called for the PDA to be revoked and for the Government to act to modestly upgrade the Cleveland ferry terminal, including by using some of the $41 Million allocated to “upgrade” the Dunwich ferry terminal. His speech was published by Save Straddie on 30 April and widely shared.

Our Association has remained active on the Toondah Harbour issue including because what happens at Toondah, the gateway to Straddie, has the potential to shape the future of the island. We were instrumental in the Toondah Alliance deciding to be proactive rather than wait for another plan from Walker Corporation. That decision led to the community based “Better Plan for Toondah Harbour”. As per the public meeting notice, it will be discussed at the Dunwich community hall on Saturday 26 April.

We look forward to updating you on Toondah and other issues in our next newsletter. Happy Easter to all.