The EDO (Environmental Defenders Office) has created a Major Projects Toolkit for the people of NSW, Australia. The Toolkit can be found at the EDO website. It is easy to read and understand.
“The toolkit comprises a step by step guide to the Part 3A process with information on opportunities for public participation and ideas for how to achieve best practice outcomes” (from EDO website)
The EDO Major Projects Toolkit is a simply presented 21 page downloadable PDF that outlines how people in NSW can interact and become involved in Major Project applications.
This interaction is essential because:-
- cumbersome Laws relating to Environment and Planning in NSW reflect a complicated, alienating and basically not easy to understand environmental planning process.
- the needs of only the Developers and other beneficiaries of the Part 3A Projects clearly disadvantage many smaller community groups and individuals in the NSW Planning process.
- the wider community and more importantly, the Future Generations of Australians, and those of the wildlife that may be impacted by the Part 3A Development are almost totally unrepresented within the Part 3A planning Law. Education about Part 3A is essential.
- Environmental & Planning Law in Australia has become a cumbersome and largely inaccessible component of many peoples’ lives. There are Environmental & Planning Laws in place that people just don’t know about.
- Given knowledge of these Laws, then cost and time can still make it virtually impossible to interact with, and understand the LAWS.
- The EDO is a precious Australian Resource of dedicated people and knowledge, that can help us understand Environmental Planning and Law in easy to read words and methodologies. This is practical Environmental Advocacy.
I once thought that the Australian Nation prided itself in a fair go for the individual. Slowly but surely, Laws have invaded our privacy, right to defend, right to know and freedom of reasonable expression.
Those who have vast resources available to them (such as having connections in the government), access to large amounts of money, consultants, specialised LEGAL knowledge – these people have a clear advantage over the individuals / community who believe that a particular planning process is abhorrent and non environmentally sustainable for future generations, but are unable to understand the Legal context.
The cost of going to court, in large development V’s community cases is beyond most of the population of Australia.
That Laws can be enacted to deny basic survival rights to Native Australian Wildlife, when other Australian Laws are working ever so hard to create a sustainable future for these Animals paints a very harsh picture of the intent of some “Lawmakers” and “Lawmaking” processes.
The dichotomy is this:-
Environmental Sustainability is largely a hollow statement these days. Current and past methods of infrastructure building and development processes are brutal to any wildlife habitats on and nearby to such development. Mostly, when the developments are created, the wildlife is either locked up in nearby “corridors” and reserves or given token pathways in which they are presumed to live. Meanwhile, in reality:-they can be killed, maimed, their food chains and habitats disrupted horrifically and cruelly.
- Fences, landscaping, infrastructure, concrete drains, catchment and water table alteration, acid sulphate soil disturbance, new DAM requirements for increased urban water use, increased fires, traffic, noise, light, interference, toxins in food chains, dogs, cats, translocation, heavy machinery use, drastic change in micro habitat and native seedbank destruction are just some of the stressful challenges that wildlife face when non sustainable development occurs
- Animals DO NOT keep dwelling stress free in developing areas full of machinery, noise, light, fencing, water catchment alteration and environments altered by (human engineered) Chemical useage.
- When a development is commenced, it may be that the *developer has owned the land for some time, and gradually degraded the land so that the Native Australian Wildlife gradually disappear – this is called LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY.
- When a development is created on paper, it doesn’t account for changes to all the tiny micro biological components that are occurring within the future “REAL” development. The paper law only focuses on those components of the natural environment that it is required to by LAW. The multiplicity of consequences, when the smaller units of BIODIVERSITY are killed and stressed ARE NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT by the paper LAW. This is called loss of BIODIVERSITY.
- Loss of biodiversity and associated stresses to Australian native wildlife occur in many (most) of the developments that have proceeded and continue to proceed, unimpeded along the Coastline of SE QLD and NE NSW.
- Alteration of Catchments, both above and below the Ground can have long lasting consequences on biodiversity. (MURRAY-DARLING Catchment is a global example of this; The Hunter Region in NSW is another example.)
If current Paper Laws enacted out the Environmentally Sustainable Vision that they supposedly say they do, then harmful and degrading engineering principles, machinery and chemical destruction of biodiversity, and water catchment ill health would become a thing of the past.
This does not appear to be happening. Non renewable energy consumption, reliance of old, proven non sustainable infrastructure development practices are increasingly killing off our Australian Biodiversity and ecological communities.
However, there is a way. But it requires an honest approach to the real issues, instead of the focus on paper laws and processes that address issues largely unrelated to the reality of what is actually happening.
The Six Clusters of Denial—Death by Storytelling at candobetter.org
The Part 3A component of the NSW Planning Process hijacks much of the
current knowledge about the intricacies of Biodiversity, Water Catchment health and Air Quality. Part 3A creates a playing field that is ARTIFICIAL, not related to Future Environment(al sustainability). Part 3A is brutal to the beautiful and diverse habitats of our many smaller Australian native fauna that are struggling to survive in our quickly changing Australian Environment.
some links:-
- EDO Northern Rivers :
- The EDO discussion paper entitled ‘Planning in NSW: Reconnecting the community with the planning system’ – search results at bluecray environmental search
- EDO Planning Survey :- I am not too sure if this survey is still current, but have a look anyway
- EDO NSW Ltd WORKSHOPS :
- Total Environment Centre :-
- The Big Scrub Environment Centre :-
- EDO Planning Discussion Paper :-
- Planning Institute of Australia : – try searching for their “BIODIVERSITY” sections – appear very limited. Also try the NSW and QLD divisions….. “money talks”… as the song goes
- URBAN TASKFORCE :- their news 15th March 2010 “$1.8 billion in projects quietly rejected in just eight months”
Media Release 15 March 2010
“The NSW Government has quietly denied “Part 3A” status to 14 major development projects worth $1.8 billion since July last year, according to documents obtained by the Urban Taskforce“ - Independent Commission Against Corruption – media release, 13th December 2010 “ICAC recommends reforms to Part 3A of the NSW Planning legislation” following the release of the report ”The exercise of discretion under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and the State Environmental Planning Policy (Major Development) 2005″
…..“money talks”… as the song goes – there is a huge gap between the multi million dollar money sector of development groups in Australia and grass roots biodiversity and regional sustainability issues. It is time that this gap was breached. Money may talk, but unfortunately, if money is not the issue, then biodiversity has few advocates in a practical sense, when it comes to development in NSW and QLD. Not many people seek to admit this, or even try to breach the gap. However, the EDO has come some way in attempts to breach this gap by openly informing people about the practical legalities surrounding development approvals and the rights of communities and individuals.
Revolutionary thinking is required to breach this gap – politically, socially, through development, infrastructure & market reform based on authentic Land and Water Stewardship and Custodianship. Self seeking profit takers within the development industry do little to enhance the situation. Self seeking egos within the environmental industry sustain the current system. ……. a little humility may go a long way.
- EDO Queensland, – there are a number of FACT SHEETS that the Queensland EDO publishes, concerning accessing information, coastal protection and management, climate change law and biodiversity, defamation, nature conservation, mining, heritage, planning and challenging development, water, vegetation protection, regional planning and planning schemes to name a few. Have a look at this website, and think about giving donations to the EDO to help their cause. Whilst there is a “paper” boundary showing separation of NE NSW and SE QLD, native fauna do not read maps, and are not necessarily permanent residents of just one state.
In SE Qld, development is forging ahead, despite all the motherhood statements about “iconic” Koalas, environmental sustainability and how wonderful the SE Qld WATER GRID (stream stealing) is. In reality, development has decimated the wetlands south of Brisbane and the Koala is disappearing.
Sprawling urban development is riddled with vaste industrial developments, highways (existing and in the pipeline) and disappearing wildlife habitats. Coastal hinterland housing estates are promoted as “real estate investment opportunities” and do little to enhance the decreasing habitats of many native wildlife species.
The website candobetter has some good information concerning the state of affairs in SE QLD, and makes good reading. The Koala is still a political football, and still disappearing at alarming rates.The koala is only one of many many threatened species at risk in SE QLD from habitat clearing for development and infrastructure creation.
below are some search engine results from bluecray for:-
koala SE QLD : there are no doubt plenty of other links to search, but this is a start
candobetter koala se qld : some very nice summaries about the state of play for KOALAS in SE QLD
*An example of inappropriateness and community concern regarding the Part 3A Planning Law in NE NSW can be found in the process surrounding the Kings Forest Development by Bob Ell’s LEDA Group (Project 28) in the Tweed Shire (Northern Rivers, NSW, Australia) :-
Environmental Sustainability as a guiding principle is found to be extremely hollow when connected with the NSW and Tweed Shire planning processes and Part 3A of the NSW Planning Law. In Luis Feliu’s article “What’s the Hurry?” ( Tweed Shire Echo – March 11th, 2010) “Councillors are set to vote next Tuesday on a rescission motion aimed at scuttling a move which originally endorsed council planners’ submission to the planning department on the massive Cobaki Lakes and Kings Forest residential subdivisions.” READ the rest of the Article HERE , and view some of the Tweed Shire Echo’s more recent letters concerning this Kings Forest Development . Kings Forest is a State Significant Site, and hence comes under the Part 3A of NSW’s Planning Law.
- candobetter.org also has some great information concerning the above development here and here .
- some search results for recent Tweed News concerning Kings Forest and Cobaki Lakes Development
- also try Tweed Link Issues at the Tweed Shire Council.
- Environmental Justice Society – “environmentally conscious lawyers, doctors, scientists and campaigners who want to empower individuals and communities with the knowledge and resources to rally support and take action to bring negligent companies to account“
Well, congratulations, if you have reached the end of this article, as it is, like many of my long winded posts – um, rather sprawling…
However, if you have reached the end, then, do not forget to have a look at the EDO websites in the above links.
The above photos show introduced honey bees foraging on introduced pasture grass flowers. Native bees will also forage on this grass. Bees have communities that all work for the common good, from the leader down to the workers.
Educate yourself courtesy of the work done by the EDO, and above all, do keep your mind clear of worry. LAWS, such as the Part 3A, created and used by elected members of the NSW Parliament and Developers, define the individuals who make and use these Laws to their advantage.
Eventually, greater wheels turn than those impressive wheels of the “development must go ahead” vehicle. The compulsive and obsessive habits that promote wasteful, non sustainable economy of scale infrastructures, industrial centres, earthmoving businesses, large shopping centre complexes, monocultured nurseries, insatiable greed, need to control and pugnacious courtroom battle scenarios define those who seek to prosper from such habits.
Related Content
- Kings Forest Development ( by Leda ), The NSW State Government, and Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 – will it cause a change in NSW Environmental Planning Laws?
- Endangered ecological community and Kings Forest Development, Tweed Coast, NE NSW.
- Kings Forest Project Development in Tweed Shire by the Leda Group has Public Submissions extended by NSW Department of Planning
- Koala Conservation and Queensland Government Draft SE QLD Regional Plan 2009 to 2031
- Kings Forest Development threatens 21 Threatened Species of Fauna
