Opportunity to save high value bushland in Western Sydney squandered as major parties dither
From Bankstown Greens
The Greens - Media Release
Thursday 1 November 2007
As the leaders of both major parties dither in an attempt to tread a safe political path on climate change, an opportunity to protect and manage some of the last great remnants of Western Sydney's bushland is being lost, according to Greens candidate for Blaxland, John Ky.
Mr Ky said, "The Greens have been working with local environment groups in Western Sydney to establish a series of large nature reserves that can be linked to smaller bushland remnants to create a 30 kilometre, 10,000 hectare haven for our native plants and animals."
"Conservationists have been calling on the Federal Liberal and Labor parties for years, without success, to commit to establishing the Cumberland Conservation Corridor. However, now at the eleventh hour it appears that local Liberal member, Jackie Kelly has decided that she supports the project after all, even if her party does not.
"The Member for Lindsay is trying the same trick that gave her the preferences of a local conservation group that ran a candidate at the last election. Preferences she needed to scrape over the line. Greens candidates in Western Sydney electorates will not be taken in so easily," Mr Ky said.
The establishment of this wildlife sanctuary would involve the transfer of several parcels of land to the NSW Government and would require funding to be allocated to manage the area.
The Commonwealth owns two of the required properties. These are the Orchard Hills Defence Establishment, of which 1370 hectares is Commonwealth heritage listed, and the Air Services Australia Llandilo (Shanes Park) site.
"To date the major parties would rather think about the profits that can be made from selling the land off for development," Mr Ky said.
"This is an alarming state of affairs in the wake of the release of the United Nation's 4th Global Environment Outlook report which found that plants, animals and fish stocks were all in 'inexorable decline' and that biodiversity was severely threatened.
"If the Greens were to win back the balance of power in the Senate, its traditional role as a 'house of review' would be restored and the next Australian government would be forced to take such critical environmental issues more seriously.
"The Greens have Australia's strongest environmental credentials. We have led on this debate in the Parliament and understand intimately the sensitive relationships that exist between the economy, our social structures and our ecology.
"It is possible to have a strong economy and a healthy environment, but new direction is needed. There can be no future for Australians on a dead planet," Mr Ky said.
For more information contact Simon Brooks on 0412 115 643
