The two articles below are from the Autumn 03 issue.
Bennetts Road Bushland
A growing issue in urban Australia is the loss of diminishing public spaces. Brisbane ratepayers are charged a compulsory Bushland Preservation Levy, which is used by council to buy and preserve bushland for the city of Brisbane. Despite the levy and espousing high environmental credentials, this council has a poor record. Sale of public land (usually parkland) for private development is a common occurrence. The Bennetts Bush Defenders is a community group objecting to the sale of half an acre of remnant native bushland 4.5km from the city centre. The council held parkland was sold to the State Department of Emergency Services for development as an ambulance station. The sale was completed in secret and without public consultation. Due to limited availability of vacant freehold sites and inadequate funding, Queensland Ambulance Service is forced to buy the cheapest (apparently) available site – public parkland. Do we want our urban environments to be vibrant healthy places with community access to the both the natural world and efficient emergency services? Or do we stand silent and allow our elected representatives to dictate what we get and ignore what we want and need?
By Leonie Lea
Narangba Irradiation Plant
It is very rare to see many different cross sections of the community, from such a diverse range of cultural and historical backgrounds, age brackets and income brackets agree on an issue. At Potassium St in Narangba's new industrial estate is an example of this in action as more and more community members put all their spare time into protecting the environment and the future of their community. The threat is the irradiation facility proposed by Steritech. It is planned to irradiate food and medical supplies. As far as I know numerous studies have shown that there is no conclusive proof that food irradiation is safe 1. Concerned community members have sent letters to their democratically elected government representatives at local, state and federal levels, all to no avail. Over 3000 letters opposing the project were received in response to Steritech's proposal. Community members felt betrayed. The irradiation facility is situated in a wetland with drainage leading into saltwater creek (Hays Inlet) which feeds into Moreton Bay. Wetland areas such as this ought to be protected due to the potential risks associated with accidents. The site in question lies within the ancestral homeland of the Ningy Ningy, who, up till the time of writing, were totally oblivious to this project.
1. For a more in-depth look at the studies go to the information page IRRADIATION
By Belle Budden