Winter 2018 Newsletter of the Urban Bushland Council WA Inc PO Box 326, West Perth WA 6872 Email: [email protected] Action to Stop Efforts to Reduce the 2009 Ministerial Conditions at Jandakot Airport By Dr Eddy Wajon Jandakot Airport Holdings (JAH) Carnaby’s Cockatoo and Grand and to seek a way forward. He leases Jandakot Airport in the City Spider Orchid, three Matters of would be accompanied by the of Cockburn, between Leeming National Environmental Signifi- current National President of and Canning Vale, from the Com- cance. If this latest Master Plan ANPSA, the past National monwealth. Under the Common- is approved, the 119ha of Bank- President of ANPSA, the in- wealth Airports Act, JAH is re- sia woodland would be reduced coming National President of quired to prepare, review and to 43ha. The purpose is for com- ANPSA, and Mary Gray, abide by Commonwealth Depart- mercial development, not avia- President of the UBC. ment of Infrastructure approved tion development. There has been support for the Master Plans for the airport every Many groups and individuals are objection to this proposed plan 5 years. appalled by this proposal. This to clear the bushland from In the 2009 and 2014 Master includes the WA Department of a range of influential parties. Plans, they were allowed to clear Biodiversity, Conservation and Ben Morton, the Federal Lib- more than 167ha of the Threatened Attractions, the WA Department eral Member for Tangney, in Ecological Community Banksia of Water and Environmental whose electorate many mem- Woodland of the Swan Coastal Regulation, the City of Cock- bers of the FoKHP reside, has Plain, habitat for Threatened Car- burn, the Friends of Ken Hurst written a letter to the Com- naby's Cockatoo and the Threat- Park (FoKHP), the Wildflower monwealth Minister for Infra- ened Grand Spider Orchid Calade- Society of WA (WSWA), the structure requesting that this nia huegelii for non-airport related UBC and the Australian Native application to reduce the Con- development (i.e. commercial Plants Society Australia servation Zones not be ap- warehouses, offices, shops), along (ANPSA). However, because proved. He has also requested with extension of existing and the airport is Commonwealth that the Minister for Infrastruc- construction of new runways. land, WA environmental and ture and the Minister for the Since then, no work has been done planning legislation and policies Environment meet with us in on a new runway, but many large do not apply. Canberra to discuss our con- warehouses and retail outlets have cerns. The recently re-elected Bush Telegraph JAH have spoken to some Com- been constructed on land cleared monwealth and State govern- Federal Labor Member for to make way for these profit- ment departments, some commu- Fremantle, Josh Wilson, in making ventures. whose electorate Jandakot Air- nities and regional groups about this plan (but tellingly not port sits, is appalled at the pro- As part of the 2009 Master Plan posal and has offered to help and associated Commonwealth the FoKHP, the WSWA or the UBC, who they know would be us meet the Shadow Minister Environment Minister’s environ- for Infrastructure and the mental approval (EPBC vehemently opposed to this pro- posal), and disguised this breach Shadow Minister for Environ- 2009/4796), JAH were required ment. under Approval Condition number of Ministerial Conditions by re- 3 to conserve/preserve in perpetui- labelling the Conservation Pre- The State Labor member for ty 119ha of land in Conservation cinct areas they wish to clear. Jandakot, Yaz Mubarakai, in Precincts 1a, 1b, and 2. Now, in They have also state that clearing whose electorate Jandakot Air- preparing the 2019 Master Plan, the areas proposed would be bet- port sits, is also concerned JAH is seeking to revoke and ter use of the area than leaving it about JAH's proposal to ignore breach this Ministerial Condition as bushland. (Continued on page 2) Urban and to clear 65% of the Banksia Dr Eddy Wajon, the Convenor of woodland which is supposed to be the FoKHP and the National Inside this issue: protected in perpetuity under this Conservation Officer of ANPSA, condition. The 119ha of bushland has requested a meeting in Can- Save Wildlife Centre 2 in these Precincts consists of the berra in late August with the recently Commonwealth-listed Commonwealth Ministers for Cockburn Wetlands Centre Threatened Banksia woodland Infrastructure and Environment, Turns 25 3 ecosystem and supports Common- as well as their Shadow Minis- wealth-listed Threatened species ters, to discuss these concerns Group News 4 The Editorial It is now 18 months since Labor was elected with a land- land managers, and there does not appear to be any co- slide win, substantially influenced by the Roe 8 saga. ordinated action across the relevant agencies to facilitate Labor’s platform includes impressive recognition and this process. DBCA and Regional Parks have not been good management of our unique biodiversity in the south allocated the required additional funding and staff re- west hotspot highlighting “biodiversity is crucial to envi- sources to take over management of the list of sites they ronmental sustainability and must therefore be protect- plan to manage as part of the conservation estate for the ed” and “more can be done to protect our unique wild- Perth region. life, native forests and community heritage, particularly This stalemate must end. Despite regular discussions in the Kimberley and south-west regions of Western Aus- with agency staff, and relevant Ministers and their staff tralia” and “ensure that proposals to destroy native veg- before, during and after the SAPPR process, UBC repre- etation for urban development are appropriately as- sentatives feel frustrated at the bland repetitive excuses sessed under the Environmental Protection Act” and used to avoid and justify lack of leadership and action to “examine cost effective incentives for bushland and wet- secure all Bush Forever sites and to properly protect our land protection programs that give financial rewards to unique, priceless biodiversity according to existing con- landholders who meet high standards of ecosystem man- servation plans, policies and listings. agement”. (Refer https://www.walabor.org.au/platform) The UBC looks forward to revision and updating of both The UBC has continued to advocate for the complete the WA Environmental Protection Act and the Biodiversi- implementation of the Bush Forever plan and program, ty Conservation Act to provide for legal recognition and including securing all Bush Forever sites for conserva- protection of Threatened Ecological Communities, pro- tion and their transfer to ‘A’ class reserve status. Some tection of the habitat of rare species of flora and fauna, sites are yet to be acquired despite ample funds available critical habitat, wetlands, and compliance with EPBC Act in the Metropolitan Region Improvement Fund (MRIF). Approved Conservation Advices and Recovery Plans. Further, the collection of sites already acquired by the WAPC have still not been transferred to the Crown as ‘A’ class reserves and allocated to suitable conservation (Continued from page 1) previous licence conditions. He has written to the WA Min- ister for Planning, Hon Rita Saffioti, requesting them to contact the Commonwealth Departments of Environment and Infrastructure and strongly oppose the proposal. The WA State Liberal leader, Mike Nahan, has also appar- ently expressed his concern about this proposal and con- Photo by K Sarti veyed his support for our efforts. Mike Hammond and Natasha Del Borrello, Department of Water and Environment Regulation, and Mary Gray, UBC President following a While the development and approval of the 2019 Master presentation at the UBC meeting on August 8. The talk focused on the Plan is still someway off, and a draft 2019 Master development of the next Gnangara groundwater allocation plan ex- pected to be released for public consultation by the end of the year. Plan would be open to public consultation sometime in DWER’s publication “Our Groundwater Future in Perth: securing 2019, we believe that it is better that the draft 2019 Master Gnangara Groundwater and Adapting to Climate Change” (May Plan does not propose and makes no mention of any plans to 2018) can be found on clear any more bushland on the site, especially in Conserva- http://www.water.wa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/9539/112061 tion Precincts 1a, 1b, and 2. We believe it is easier to attack .pdf. the idea now rather than when it is proposed in a formal document that has already had some Commonwealth infor- Urban Bush Telegraph 2019 mal support. The UBC Committee has recently agreed that, from There is currently a petition on Change.org calling 2019, we will start charging for the printed copy of UBT. on the Commonwealth Minister for Infrastructure to not approve JAH’s proposal (see https://www.change.org/p/ The charge will be $15 per year to cover printing and infrastructure-minister-michael-mccormack-stop- postage costs for 4 editions per year. There will be no jandakot-airport-clearing-more-rare-orchids-and- charge for the electronic copy which all members re- banksia-woodland/w?source_location=petition_nav). ceive via email link. The UBT can also be downloaded from the UBC website. Please go to this site and express your support for our cam- paign to stop this proposed clearing. This step has been taken to help UBC manage its budg- et whilst keeping our annual fees at $45 for Group There is already awareness in Canberra by membership and $35 for supporters. the Commonwealth Minister for Infrastructure about these plans and about widespread opposition. It is now nec- N E W S L E T T E R I T E M S essary to turn that opposition into deletion of the pro- Compiled by: Renata Zelinova posal.