Here in the Top End myself, friends and colleagues were flabbergasted to hear
earlier this week that a deep sea port had been built in the Tiwi Islands. But
what compounded our amazement was that it had been built in an area listed as
internationally significant to wildlife but without any environmental approval.
Government ministers appear to be passing the buck - no one is accepting any
responsibility. It seems that companies such as the Singaporean corporation
involved here, can ignore the NT Environmental Approval Act with impunity.
What really concerns me is that this development will set a precedent, not only
in the NT, but elsewhere in Australia. We’ve already seen off an inappropriate
development here in Darwin River, but the proposals and exploration licences
keep coming.
The Environmental Defenders’ Office is prepared to launch an action but need a
plaintiff. That might be hard to find, but all ideas are welcome.
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
PO Box 71
Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
043 8650 835
PhD candidate, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW.
Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
Nominated by Earthfoot for Condé Nast’s International Ecotourism Award, 2004.
With every introduction of a plant or animal that goes feral this continent
becomes a little less unique, a little less Australian.
<HR>
<BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
<BR>
<BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
<BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
</HR>
|
