Sue Brooks May 31st, 2009
While I’m not sure that feeding the dingo’s on Fraser Island will solve the ‘problem’ I certainly believe that killing the dogs should stop. This petition closes tomorrow but I think it worth signing if you can.
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_qld/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1229
Also I urge interested people to make the effort to send in a simple statement about the review of the dingo management plan. Time is also short for this to be done also.
Fraser Coast residents initially had until close of business tomorrow but DERM has extended the submission cut-off until Friday June 5.
Submissions can be sent to dingo.management@epa.qld.gov.au.
The current strategy is at www.epa.qld.gov.au.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service will examine the submissions and pass the findings on to Laurie Corbett for consideration as part of the audit. I also believe that more people than Laurie Corbet who originally was consulted to develop the Dingo Strategy, need to be involved in the review to ensure the review is based on current research. I wonder when last Laurie carried out research on the island?
I am concerned that the dingo strategy is not based on current research and I am concerned that ‘feeding the dingos’ is thought to be the reason that dingo’s ‘attack’ people. The issue is a complex one but the focus of the Parks and Wildlife staff during the past few years has been primarily geared towards stopping people feeding these animals. Firstly this aim is impossible to properly police and enforce as people being people mean that either intentionally or not, the dingo still sees humans as a potential supplier of food.
I do believe it is time for further study and I also wish to see hazing and shooting of the dogs stopped and much more stringent safety training being given to visitors to the island. I’m not aware of any ‘locals’ having experienced any problems with the dogs but visitors to Fraser Island must be made aware that they are entering an environment where a predator lives.
Sue Brooks May 25th, 2009
I received an interesting email last week from one of our local development consultants. Attached was the latest Michael Matusik snapshot (404) which talks about Hervey Bay. Sadly I can’t find it online so in summary Michael is speaking about the predicted growth in our city and says that according to predictions we need to produce ‘around 1,300 new dwellings per annum across Hervey Bay, of which two thirds are likely to be different from the standard sized detached homes on traditional allotments’.
Michael then goes on to describe that currently housing is unaffordable, rental prices over priced, residential propery is too expensive, cost of new product is too high, sales volumes of land are down 65%. He then relates how pop growth is down and unemployment is up. Michael then describes how a failure to promote development is caused by increased requirements and concern in relation to the environment and an anti development attitude by Government departments including Local Government among other things. Michael concludes his snapshot by telling us that the building industry is an essential supplier of jobs and the construction industry is a great contributor to the economy.
There is much to digest but at the end of the story my interpretation of the report is that we need to be doing more to support and enhance more development locally. While I agree that the construction industry is a large employer I don’t believe that Hervey Bay is any different from anywhere else in terms of suffering the impact from a global economic downturn. I don’t agree however, that Hervey Bay is lacking in development activity as a result of Council inaction. I believe we have adequate housing supply and an over supply of Unit development now impacting on the market.
I’m wondering what everyone else thinks? Personally I responded to our local consultant by saying that I look forward to the day when we as a community, can reach a stable population and thefore enjoy a sustainable construction and development industry. You see I believe that we can’t continue to just keep growing and that we need to be having that debate now.
There was much more to our correspondence and in the interests of space etc I will refrain from posting the entire conversation but needless to say I am hopeful that both Council, on behalf of you the community, and the development industry, can face the future together and work towards building a community where we all do continue to enjoy living within. I will endeavour to find a link to the Matusik report to share. Sue
Sue Brooks May 20th, 2009
I have received this contribution from Wayne at Pt Vernon and thought it worthy of posting. If we are to protect our treed and green forshore we have to start voicing how strongly we feel about it. I believe we need to tell everyone at all layers of Government that a green vegetated foreshore is as important to us as is our Esplanade etc. The current thinking is that sand and trees etc don’t rate protection but concrete and steel infrastructure, eg roads, does!
Wayne writes…
I was looking at your blog and noticed your stated ‘vision’ for the HB foreshore as follows:
“HERVEY BAY foreshore – I want to see Hervey Bay become the best coastal garden city in Australia. Why do we visit places like Montville and Toowoomba? Hervey Bay must continue to develop our Esplanade in an environmentally sensitive way. We do want to actually see our lovely blue waters so planting very low growing ground covers, rather than bushy shrubs, under taller trees is advisable in some areas. Let us make our Esplanade a boulevard that people come especially to visit. This means we prevent further building development on the North or ‘beach side’ of the Esplanade. Green and treed cities and towns, I think, are simply more attractive places to live and visit”.
As you already know by now, my vision for our foreshore (especially in populated areas) is very similar to your own in terms of appearance and public usage. Apart from replanting more sensibly, I feel some of the species selected and ‘natural regrowth’ need to be taken into consideration also. I also think that some of the more ‘tacky’ building that has already sprung up on the beach side of the Esplanade should be given incentive and encouragement to improve their appearance by renovating, rebuilding or, in some cases, even relocate.
Maybe you are now in a position to actually shed some light on any definte progress that is likely to occur in the immediate future regarding improvements along the lines of your stated vision? Is there some way that the public might assist to bring about the necessary changes? I know of many residents like ourselves who would welcome changes along the lines you suggest, and who would even be prepared to shoulder some of the physical and/or financial aspects of achieving it.
Sue Brooks May 18th, 2009
This week Council will decide the model it prefers to take our water entities into the future. The report to Council is available online via the Council web site and includes a recommendation to adopt the Corporate model. There is comment also on the submissions that Council received during the Public Benefit Assessment process. I expect that once the decision is made on Wednesday, that the hard work will really begin as no matter the outcome, there will still be a period of upheaval and adjustment for hard working staff. I personally hope that we can move forward quickly and with as least ‘pain’ as possible.
Last week I attended the Coastal Conference on the Gold Coast. I heard many good presentations but not many solutions I’m afraid. It does seem that expected sea level rise is a problem that is sitting in the ‘too hard’ basket still. I think we need to take the stand that our treed and green foreshore and our public beaches are as important asset to our community as is the Esplanade etc. It seems to me that the State Government is presently more inclined to protect a hard concrete asset than a green, growing one!
Then on Saturday morning we snorkelled off Round Island from the Krystal Klear boat. We all were glad we had our wetsuits but the sea was clear, skies blue and it was quiet and calm. I swam with a big ‘toad fish’ and took quite a few pics. These can be viewed on my Facebook site. This was our ‘hands on’ lesson to ready us for our actual monitoring of our coral which we will commence shortly. Thanks to Carol, Murray, Amanda and Maria for their help. (I recommend a Krystal Klear trip to all of you).
On Sunday I was lucky to attend a full day ‘Native Stingless Bee’ workshop at Aldershot. This was facilitated by the Healthy Habitats programme and we were all shown hives being split and how honey is extracted. Our able presenter was Tim Heard from sugarbag honey. He was very knowledgeable and informative. I got to take home a hive which I had ordered several months prior. This morning I was worried that no bees were venturing out so was relieved when I got home to find them busily to-ing and fro-ing! Graham and I are now proud parents of our own stingless native bee hive.
Sue Brooks May 10th, 2009
It was with sadness yesterday that once again I received news of more dingo killings. The number of dogs killed this year, I am sure, is higher than any year since the killings by EPA/DERM staff began. Stephen O’Grady has written a thoughtful editorial today in the Chronicle. I recommend it and sadly nod my head while reading it.
We are faced with a dilemma. On the mainland dingos are shot and killed routinely. On Fraser Island the dino is synonomous with a ‘natural and uniquely Queensland’ experience. Domestic dogs regularly injure and sometimes kill us human beings. I can’t help but feel that a dingo on Fraser Island only has to look sideways at a human these days and it is marked for extermination.
I will try to find out more details about how we can all provide input into the promised Dingo Management review. In the meantime can anyone travelling to the island keep children close by and be watchful. I have experienced dingos on Fraser Island specifically in Happy Valley prior to the building of the dreaded fences. These dogs did NOT hurt anyone but went about their business without a concern for us two legged creatures.
Someone once asked me if I would be afrad walking alone on the beach on FI. I replied that as long as I had a stout stick with me I would not be afraid of any wildlife. The only creature I would possibly fear would be a male of the homo sapien variety. Sorry to all you wonderful men out there but the only time in my life I have ever feared for my well being, was in the company of the aforementioned!