mackay conservation group annual report june 2014 – june 2015 MACKAY CONSERVATION GROUP ANNUAL REPORT JUNE 2014 – JUNE 2015 Report from the President…………………………………………………………….…………………………………….. 2 Our major partners………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Remembering Felicity Wishart……………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Celebrating 30 years of MCG……………………….………………………………………………………………………. 4 Recognising the contribution of Dr Michael Williams…………………………………………………………… 5 Our projects in 2016……………………………………………………………………………..……………………………… 6 Legal challenge to Carmichael coal mine……….……………………………………………………….. 6 Abbot Point court case…………………………………………………………………………………………… 7 Abbot Point community campaign……………………………………………………….…….............. 7 Transhipping at Hay Point………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Our Energy Future and Regional Economic Transitions…………………………………………… 8 #noadanihandouts…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9 Start the Switch……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 Beautiful Walks………………………………………………………………………………….………………….. 10 Eungella Honeyeater survey…………………………………………………………………………………… 11 Support for local environment issues……………………………………………………………………… 11 Our Board…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 12 Our Staff………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13 Our Volunteers…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 14 Where would MCG be without its volunteers? Pictured here are Maryanne, Lesley, Rose, Judy, Laura and Kylie calling MCG members and supporters about handing scorecards on election day. 1 2 REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT T Thirty years ago some Mackay people decided to create a group to give a collective voice on the environment for the region. Concerns included the loss of Mackay’s natural heritage such as the Slade Point melaleuca forest and impacts on the reef and the islands such as the plan to subdivide Lindeman. The Mackay Conservation Group was born. Over the 30 years the group has maintained its role in advocacy for a large range of issues affecting the region, always arguing a precautionary approach to development, based on best evidence and the community’s long term best interests. The threat of increased coal mining in the region with escalating Climate Change and degradation of the reef has again been the MCGs priority this year. We had a responsibility as the peak regional group to challenge the proposed dredging and spoil dumping at Abbott Point in 2014 and the Carmichael coal mine, planned to be Australia’s largest, in the Galilee Basin this year. Our legal stand was proven right on both counts, where government agreed with us and conceded. The MCG has gained national respect for taking a stand, but became the lightning rod for anger and name calling from supporters of coal. It was a flashback to the 90s when our stand on rainforest logging and tree clearing guidelines took us to defending ourselves in the Supreme Court. The MCG has continued to contribute in multiple ways to the community over the last year – the beautiful walks, start the switch for schools, working with local groups, environmental research such as the coal dust and Eungella Honeyeater studies, educational events – with the Wood St Environment centre as the hub. Our website and newsletters offer a high quality communication to our members and the community. Over the 30 years we have been so grateful to have had dedicated and talented co-ordinators who have underpinned the MCGs activities. We were very fortunate to have had Ellen Roberts as our coordinator over the last 2 years. She has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically, with expertise and talent, much to the benefit of the MCG and the matters we stand for. She is leaving us now but will leave a lasting contribution – thank you so much Ellen. We are pleased that Peter McCallum is taking over as acting coordinator. Thanks to the management committee – it has had to make major and hard decisions again this year but I think time has demonstrated the wisdom of the committee in doing so. Thank you particularly to Christine Carlisle who has contributed so much time and energy again essential for the group. Patrician Julien, our previous coordinator, has continued to contribute tirelessly with important research and advocacy. Thank you to all our other staff and supporters helping to make this such a momentous year for the MCG. Although playing only a small role I have been proud to work with such good people and be MCGs President in 2015. 3 OUR MAJOR PARTNERS RS These organisations provide financial or in kind support for Mackay Conservation Group, or receive financial or in kind support from us, or collaborate with us on projects. Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Environment Defenders Office Queensland, Environment Defenders Office NSW, Queensland Conservation Council, Getup!, Whitsunday Residents Against Dumping, Mackay Regional Council, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Norman Wettenhall Foundation, Birdlife Mackay, Protect the Bush Alliance, 350.org, Doctors for the Environment Australia, Lock the Gate, The Australia Institute, Mackay and District Turtle Watch, Mackay Regional Council Thanks to the many people who donated to the Mackay Conservation Group. We (literally) couldn’t do it without you! REMEMBERING FELICITY WISHART S We’d like to take this opportunity to remember Felicity (‘Flic’) Wishart, who passed away in July 2015 aged 50. Felicity was a great support to Mackay Conservation Group, most recently in her role as the Great Barrier Reef Campaign Director at the Australian Marine Conservation Society. MCG actively collaborated with Flic and her team at AMCS in our shared fight to protect the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area from the threats of industrialisation and increased shipping. In the 2000s, Flic was a great support and mentor to MCG when she was Co-ordinator of the Queensland Conservation Council. She supported the role of small groups like ours and provided hours of her own time to support us to take up the big challenges like court cases. Flic actively advocated for the role of women in the environment movement and was a particularly active mentor to MCG staff Ellen Roberts and Gemma Plesman. Flic is pictured below presenting at an MCG event in 2013 at the MECC, and sailing on the Whitsundays with MCG staff Ellen Roberts and Moira Williams in 2014. She is greatly missed. 4 CELEBRATING THIRTY YEARS OF THE MACKAY CONSERVATION GROUP This year MCG is celebrating our 30th year protecting the region’s environmental values – a great achievement! The group started over the fight to preserve the Daintree Road in the mid eighties, a time when environmental issues had come to the fore after the success of the fight to save the Franklin Dam. Since then the activities of the MCG have been broad and diverse. Pictured left are Rod Smith and Hans Kupfer with a dugong made by Colleen Heathwood. They are about to set off from the Environment Centre on a protest calling for dugong protection zones. These zones have now been implemented up and down the Queensland coast as precious protection for a species that has declined in numbers by over 90% since 1960. In addition to preserving our unique natural heritage, Mackay Conservation Group has always encouraged people of the region to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Former Co-ordinator Jacki Wirth is pictured here with son Bellamy in the Mackay Environment Centre with the bulk cleaning products that were available for sale. MCG also ran ‘environmental play’ sessions for children in the Environment Centre, where kids would learn about the natural environment and enjoy activities such as paper making. The Environment Centre was first opened in 1994, and had some unfriendly visitors at the opening! Throughout Queensland the ALP government was banning rainforest logging, but logging continued in the Eungella area. MCG fought to have the ban implemented here, invoking the ire of the local logging industry who parked their logging truck out the front on the day the centre opened. Barnes Creek was another focus for MCG with the fight to save the creek from the building of the East – West Connector Road. At this event, the community declared the ‘Barnes Creek National Park’ and held a cricket match on an unlevel playing field, to highlight the uneven relationship between government and corporations. President Michael Williams is pictured here addressing the crowd. MCG obviously remains very active and this an importance chance for us to reflect on where we come to and where we want to go. 5 RECOGNISING THE CONTRIBUTION OF DR MICHAEL WILLIAMS S We are proud this year to be celebrating the contribution of Dr Michael Williams who has been President of the Group since 1991, and has been very generous with his time and philanthropy. We are granting him honorary life membership. LEADING THE ORGANISATION AS PRESIDENT Michael has contributed his enormous skills and experience to the Mackay Conservation Group in the often unappreciated area of organisational governance. Michael is pictured here below outside the MCG office on Wood Street with other members of the MCG Management Committee around 1998, some four years after Centre was first opened. For 24 years Michael has supported staff and volunteers to undertake the sometimes difficult work of MCG. Michael provides guidance on important strategic and political questions but always in a collaborative way. ACTIVE IN MACKAY CONSERVATION GROUP CAMPAIGNS He has also taken a lead role in many local campaigns, such as the fight to save Barnes Creek and East Point.