Cumberland Plains Woodland has been listed as Critically Endangered Ecological Communities. It is believed that the basis for the Critically Endangered Listing was that CPW had been reduced in area by some 400 hectares. About 400 ha has been lost since CPW was first listed as endangered in 1997/98 and that amount lost has justified the next listing as critically endangered. Yet PM Howard gave Delfin permission to clear practically all the remaining 400 ha at the site in question. The Western Sydney Conservation Alliance is asking Garrett to reverse this terrible decision. Inside: Letter to Peter Garrett.

Tweed Valley Community levied for unwanted and disastrous development in region's main koala habitat.
Koalas are in danger of extinction within two years in Queensland and NSW cannot be far behind. No state is keeping proper wildlife statistics and development is ruining their habitat and ours. See where to send objections inside article.

The Auditor General's report pointed out numerous inefficiencies, duplications and limits of resources. What it missed was to clearly highlight is that huge amount of time and money is spent on listing endangered species and the production of management plans but no further action is taken or enforced to properly rectify the problems. (Hans Brunner, wildlife ecologist, Victoria)

In a press release on April Fools Day 2009, Gavin Jennings interpreted as a 'pat on the back' a terrible report by the Auditor General on the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.[1] The report said "the government's lack of baseline data or output performance measures means that it is not possible to conclude whether or not the Act has achieved its primary objectives. The available data, which is patchy, indicates that it has not," and notes failure to use the conservation and control measures in the Act, inadequate listing of threatened species, failure to develop action statements, to monitor implementation of these, or to assess their effectiveness, and that penalties for offences under the Act have not been reviewed or updated and therefore are not an effective deterrent." So government has no reliable statistical basis to make statements on wildlife numbers and health or to issue cull-permits in Victoria. Local independent counts are potentially more influential - like this one.

Here are some more Auditor General reports on the predicament of wildlife in Australia, due to the cruel negligence and sheer incompetence of Australia's state and Federal governments.

Majestic picture inside. They had to build the animals their own crossing (especially the elk) because that was where the natural crossing was and after the highway was built there were far too many accidents. Pity Australia's developers and road makers seem to be too mean to do this kind of work for animals, although there are a few, small exceptions. Let's hope that Australia will follow this example. Unfortunately, on population policy, Canada is nearly as bad as Australia.

The role of biodiversity in climate change adaptation a report for the Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, August 2009, finds that maintaining biodiversity, notably kangaroos, reduces fire danger and makes the landscape more resilient. It criticises the culling of kangaroos in Canberra and notes the oddness of referring to them as if they are outside the eco-system, when talking about restoring damaged land. The report also suggests that kangaroos have their own ways of managing their numbers and that 'management' of kangaroo numbers, by interfering with them, is likely to cause population problems. The report contradicts policies defended by Dr Fletcher, ACT government zoologist, although Fletcher's own PHD thesis would support this report's findings, but his department doesn't.

The “exploding kangaroo population” in Thargomindah Queensland, apparently, is because Russia has banned the sale of roo meat.  It sounds like the kangaroo industry pushing their own agenda! The media has reported stupid things like a a woman who was too scared to hang her washing out because of the kangaroo coming close to the town, implying very strongly that they are creating a safety problem as well!

Venue: Belmore Park, Eddie Avenue end, opposite Central Railway; Date: Saturday, 24th October
Time: 11.30am to set up, 12.00pm - 2.00pm for the rally
"In the last decade, permits have been issued to allow the commercial slaughter of 49.6 million kangaroos primarily to give household pets a bit of variety in their diet. That is but one instance of a set of behaviours that suggests that, with a population of 22 million people, we haven’t managed to find accommodation with our environment. Our record has been poor and in my view we are not well placed to deal effectively with the environmental challenges posed by a population of 35 million." (Australian Secretary of Treasury, Ken Henry)

“The whole rationale for extending the Urban Growth Boundary is to accommodate the unprecedented flood of population to Victoria.” “The State Government is devoid of coherence in these planning matters and its approach to endless population growth.” (Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc)

The propaganda against the 1/4 acre block started a few decades ago. - appearing as opinion pieces in newspapers. I believe this propaganda was aimed at very ordinary people in suburbs with traditional blocks. It was to prepare them to relinquish this lifestyle and for their children not to expect it in the normal course of events. It wasn't aimed at the rich; it was aimed at ordinary people.

We publish and answer here pro-rally comments from "Jack," accusing "Greenies" of violence. Perhaps this is a classical case of "People in glass houses should not throw stones" - only who is in the glass house here? It is hard to deal with behaviour which has rightly been accused of causing threat to human life when you know that the situation which probably caused it left any protesters few if any legal or safe alternatives. Did Repco's and the NSW Government's actions place citizens in an untenable position by suspending environmental protection and democratic rights?

"VicRoads should hand over the land to Moreland City Council free-of charge on the proviso that it will be maintained as public open space." (Kelvin Thomson) Growth-lobby-friendly VicRoads claims it must sell 10 ha of rare riparian land in overpopulated and traffic-choked Coburg at market value under State Government policy. It it does this will be yet tragic cost of unwanted population growth, driven by the Brumby Government. A Victorian Parliamentary inquiry last year found that important open space and Crown Land is often sold off to developers for the highest price, with little consideration to the long term community and environmental ramifications (Fyffe 2009). Inside find Kelvin Thompson's entire submission

Donate $40AUD to purchase one acre of land for wombats. The link will take you to the site describing the efforts, backed by Bob Irwin of the Australia zoo, of dedicated hairy-nosed wombat carers and rescuers.

We just learned, to our great sadness, that "Sam" the koala who was rescued from a burn-off gone wrong, has been euthanased due to severe structural damage from chlamydia. We salute the carers who looked after her and extend our deep sympathy.

Developers, led by Planning Minister Justin Madden, in a move reminiscent of Hitler's tanks on Poland, are poised to invade and bulldoze the green wedges to enrich themselves, with the same excuses for aggression of ‘lebenraum’ – living space - despite the objections of the people who live there. Is there a Churchill in Victoria with the guts to stop the bulldozers or will the government sacrifice democracy completely? Here is a submission that spells out what the damage will be if the Opposition allows the government to legitimise the totalitarian aggression of “lebensraum” – Urban Boundaries Expansion.

You tube video inside of Michael Hocking's speech about the GAIC tax which Planning Minister Madden wants to inflict on the people who live in the Green Wedges which he wants to rezone for urban development.

"We are looking at an imminent wildlife disaster of unprecedented proportions in Victoria. The situation is growing so serious for species, especially kangaroos, that I cannot keep up with the calls I receive for help and our volunteers are stretched to the limits on the frontiers of encroaching suburbia, dealing with a sort of 'animal apocalypse'. Wildlife corridors are the only answer, but Mr Madden, the Minister for Planning's plans, should he succeed in getting them through parliament, would cut off this final escape from extinction." (Maryland Wilson, Australian Wildlife Protection Council, July 14, 2009.)

The public are finding democratic ways to combat the devastation of all they hold dear and threats to life itself, as Victoria's government closes its eyes and steps as hard on the growth-accelerator as it can. You may already know about the requisitioning of 50,000 ha for residential development and new roads and the government's intention to simply take away our green wedges and get rid of our wildlife and trees. Yes our democracy is being trampled along with everything else, but we have not entirely lost people power.

“There is only one problem. There are too many of us,” says former Environment Minister, Andrew McNamara. “Every day, the front pages of our papers are covered in variations on the same problem. Whether the issue is traffic congestion, overcrowding on trains, waiting lists for hospitals, skills shortages, social alienation in urban sprawl, food security, water security or global warming." And, despite all this 'robust growth' in Queensland - and the rest of the Australia and the third world - business isn't doing very well.

Professor Steve Garlick writes that he has received a disturbingly poor account from the RSPCA of their supervision of the mass killing of kangaroos in the ACT.

What kind of incompetent government cannot even keep small creatures like bandicoots from extinction? Wildlife ecologist and forensic animal hair identification expert, Hans Brunner, says politicians and greedy planners have seriously watered down and misinterpreted the meaning of the word 'reserve'. Parks Victoria complain about the lack of money, but spend money on infrastructure for people leaving no money for the protection of plants and animals, or for weeding, predator control and fencing, which should be their first and only priority.

Join Rod Qantok at a Rally to save the Pines Flora & Fauna Reserve from the SEITA Frankston By-Pass. The Pines Reserve was once described by the Victorian Government as the most botanically significant land in Melbourne's south and south east.

See also www.savethepines.net.

Premier Brumby has announced his intention to bulldoze the Peninsula Link Freeway through the centre of Frankston’s 220 hectare Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve. He pre-empted the “Independent” Panel report reviewing the South and Eastern Integrated Transport Authority’s Environment Effect Statement thus wasting $5m of taxpayers money and thousands of hours of submitters time. There is now a dedicated website and a concerted effort by local activists to overturn this decision. See also: "Why wildlife and Devilbend Reserve need more protection"
"Grave loss of native fauna on the Mornington Peninsula"
"SEITA tollway using old data on oil prices"

Since Black Saturday - Feb 7, 2009 - when Australia's worst-ever bushfires on the hottest day in Victoria's recorded history completely destroyed all infrastructure at Wildhaven animal rescue and release center, Alan and Stella Reid have had a few visitors, including Steve Irwin's father, Bob Irwin, and Maryland Wilson of the AWPC, and four kangaroos that also escaped with their lives. Allan Reid tells an incredible story of his own survival as the place burned to the ground leaving him and perhaps four kangaroos alive. Please consider donating money for hay and rebuilding.See alsoImportant Wildhaven Shelter in St Andrews NE Victoria perished needs rebuilding and video.

What has happened to us that we have to get children to express our deepest values and concerns because we have been conditioned to repress them for political reasons?
(Pic:Gavin Jennings, Victorian Min Environment)

In 1845 the Mornington Peninsula was thick with wildlife: herds of kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, many echidnas and koalas and glorious birds, all unused to man and quite tame and inquisitive. ...wonderful trees, abundance of silver wattles, when in blossom, gilded the country and filled the air deliciously with their sweetness. Now population growth is turning the Peninsula into a desert. Research and graphs by Malcolm Legg and Hans Brunner.

The Victorian Government report, "Land and Biodiversity at a time of climate change," was widely seen by Victorian wildlife organisations as a shocker. Here is an excerpt from AWPC Maryland Wilson's searing response.

As oil prices rocket above AU$140 per barrel, the Victorian Government proceeds to ram through its expensive road and tunnel building projects premised upon oil costing at most AU$24.20 per barrel against a groundswell of community opposition. Why?

For his political courage in speaking out against undemocratic, but mainstream media and government endorsed, growth, actor, Geoffrey Rush deserves particular historic recognition from Australians. He launched a new website: Marvellous Melbourne.