15th January 2013
Referral Business Entry Point, EIA Policy Section (EPBC Act)
Approvals and Wildlife Division
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
By Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Ref 2013/6710 - VDL Company Dairy Farm expansion on the Woolnorth property, North West Tasmania
.
Dear Sir or Madam,
We write about the VDL Company’s proposal to rapidly and, in essence, immediately clear the large area (in Tasmanian terms) of 1,818 hectares of native vegetation on the
property “Woolnorth” owned by VDL and the proposed conversion of this land to dairy pasture.
We have considered the voluminous amount of information presented both on the EPBC website and the VDL website about this matter. We consider the information present may
not adequately describe the problem we refer to in this letter.
We have been aware of the VDL proposal and the extensive clearances already taking place in the northwest corner of Tasmania by VDL and are increasingly concerned and
alarmed. We consider this to be a matter of national environmental significance and that the land clearance of habitat of listed species would, absolutely, be against the public iinterest.
We believe the matter should be regarded by the Commonwealth under EPBC as a Controlled Action.
It seems that it is not disputed that the land in question is very, very important habitat for the Spotted Tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) and also for the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) including those that are claimed to be disease free. Both of these species are Commonwealth listed species and rightly so. However we dispute the adequacy of the current Commonwealth listings.
We believe that in the context of the rapid and catastrophic decline of the Tasmanian Devil especially, the proposed clearance on VDL is a matter of national significance.
We assert there will be a number significant impacts on the listed species if the proposed clearance goes ahead that will not be mitigated adequately or at all by the illogical action of reserving what is left of the natural environment after VDL has massively intensified and expanded its operations. The attempts to avoid the impacts are obviously not sufficient.
This is a proposal, which implemented, would unwisely and irresponsibly drag at least two very important species of unique carnivorous marsupials towards extinction. The Devil is the world’s largest remaining carnivorous marsupial ever since the Thylacine was intentionally obliterated in Tasmania.
Other important threatened species and endangered species, nationally listed and present on the site should also be more carefully investigated.
What an outrageous proposition, that a foreign owned corporation should, for purely financial motivation (as has been admitted), embark upon the wrecking of a marvellous and ecologically important part of a wonderful corner of Australia and in the process ensure that two important carnivorous marsupials are driven further towards extinction.
Such endangerment should be a crime.
Please let us remind you that there are no adequate land clearance controls in Tasmania and still no land clearance legislation. Tasmania is still allowed to lag behind the other states in this regard whilst land clearance in Tasmania continues virtually unabated.
Australia must be proactive in protecting its unique fauna from developers who naturally have less interest in the national importance of our unique environment and iconic wildlife. We call upon the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and its Commonwealth Minister to reject the proposal to obliterate of 1,818 hectares of native vegetation which includes a substantial portion of important habitat for disease free Tasmanian Devils and which has long been acknowledged as strong hold for the Spotted Tailed Quoll (STQ).
One can see that fact by looking at the RFA’s CRA of 1996/7 period where the area was identified. Tasmania has about 50% of Australia’s STQ’s and the Commonwealth has failed to finalise a recovery plan. A draft has been the best it can do.
We provide the Report 7A to the Independent Verification Group (which seemingly has largely been overlooked) which deals with both the Spotted Tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) and the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) as well as the Eastern Quoll.
Please note how little of the current forest reserve proposals consider this area of the King Bioregion.
We note Minister Bourke has been keen on the Tasmanian Forest Agreement but not withstanding it is criticised for having insufficient focus on protecting biodiversity. The VDL proposal to clear 1,818 hectares of native vegetation is an excellent case in point being private land containing a plethora of threatened and endangered species.
The foreign owned company, VDL, simply wish to knock down a swag of high conservation value natural environment with the Commonwealth’s blessing. They also wish to find other investors for their project. That basically means that foreign investors such as possibly the Chinese will become the principle beneficiaries of destroying the significant natural environment of NW Tasmania. The whole proposition is against the public interest. The proposal for more land clearance should be rejected.
Finally we note that the 16th January is the last day for submissions with the referral “Ref 2013/6710 - VDL Company Dairy Farm expansion on the Woolnorth property North West Tasmania” to the EPBC being listed on January 2nd 2013. We are concerned that the time of year in which this matter was referred is one where such a referral could easily be overlooked, being just after Christmas. Many people are on holidays and I suppose the proponent is seeking to take advantage of that fact. We expect you will receive few submissions as a result. We consider it should be readvertised.
The matter should be listed as a Controlled Action. We would make further representation on this matter. Ultimately the project should not go ahead.
We seek a response to our submission please.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Ricketts
Convenor
The Environment Association (TEA) Inc is a not for profit, volunteer based, regional environment community association and a stakeholder in land use and biodiversity processes. TEA has a long-term interest in environmental and social outcomes in our region, Northern Tasmania, particularly in forest conservation and forestry and threatened species issues. The Environment Association has worked in the public interest since its inception in 1990. As one of only two rural based environment centres in Tasmania, The Environment Association (TEA) is a long-term independent stakeholder in any resolution to the complex and divisive forestry conflict in Tasmania. TEA is not represented by any other conservation organisation, formally or informally, including the three ENGO conservation organisations that signed the Tasmanian Forest Agreement.
Download:
TEA_to_EPBC_re_2013.6710_representation_15-1-2013_.pdf
• IVG Forest Conservation Report 7A
Report for the Independent Verification Group of the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on the distribution of carnivore refugia within the proposed ENGO forest conservation areas: Distribution of large marsupial carnivores - locations of core habitat and population strongholds for the Tasmanian devil, spotted-tailed quoll and eastern quoll
in Tasmania.
Chris Johnson1, Menna Jones1 and Brooke Bateman2
1School of Zoology, University of Tasmanian, Private Bag 5, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001
2Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 102 Stock Pavilion,
1675 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Show Comments
Comments (9)
this will fall on deaf ears,our govts.are too weak and foreign companies know this.in the next 20 or 30 years most of australia will be owned by foreign countries courtesy of weak australian governments.we will be buying food grown in oz from overseas companies who will never relinquish our land.
So what else is news, you vote for dedicated fools and you get dedicated idiocy. There’s money in this for the ideological elite and they don’t give a damn about the future, land,food or the people. Just profit growth for them and power for the empty headed clones they pay in the form of donations to stay in power.
Don’t assume that VDL is indifferent to the devil.
With Evan Rolley on the VDL team (as well as on the Ta Ann and TasPorts teams), you wouldn’t bet that VDL don’t have a bounty on them.
Critically endangered species are a damned nuisance to resource extractors who, as we know so well, despise “emotions”, such as “concern”, as much as they love profits, when it comes to their targeted resources.
Meanwhile, DPIPWE is speeding up the process by insisting that orphan devils raised in captivity be released at maturity in the same places where their mothers died.
John Hayward
The Greenies will have their hands out for donations for the bushfires in Tasmania.
Any large scale destruction of native vegetation adds to an inexorable ongoing decline in biodiversity. It’s not just the iconic marsupials mentioned in this submission that are at risk in the long term, but also many less appreciated critters from across the whole spectrum of nature. Entire food chains can be immediately destroyed by land conversion, particularly when conversion is for a single purpose.
I’m reminded of a UK newspaper article I read recently lamenting the loss of biodiversity that has occurred there over the course of just the last generation. It rang so true, as I remember from my youth that any long-distance car journey resulted in the windscreen being literally splattered with insects of every description. Take a car journey in the UK today, and this no longer happens.
Biodiversity decline can occur gradually and incrementally, almost escaping notice. There is often no understanding of the causes. It is an example of why human activity across recent decades will be judged by history as grossly irresponsible.
Tragically, large scale environmental damage is likely to continue over the next generation too. An ongoing combination of public apathy, poor governance and rapacious industrial greed will likely see to that. Tasmania has been more immune to this unfolding tragedy than most other countries to date, due to a smaller level of industrial agriculture, but this looks set to change in coming years.
Isn’t it ironic that it was the Van Diemans Land Company that introduced the Thylacine bounty, which led to the extinction of that species? So is this going to be a case of history repeating itself, with vital lessons not having been learnt? Our government appears at the moment to be asleep at the wheel on such matters; either unable or unwilling to intervene in the public interest (but I hope I am proved wrong).
This Woolnorth conversion is happening on our watch, and The Environment Association (TEA) are to be commended for taking action. Perhaps TEA could post a comment to this article advising if EPBC submissions are still open, and where the guidance for making a submission can be found?
So true, Ken.
You say: “There is often no understanding of the causes.” Even more concerning, there is no real understanding of the consequences in the long-term given how intricately entwined and inter-dependent is the web of life.
Sorry, Kev…...not Ken.
Where did Lala holiday again?
Yes Miles Hampton is intricately involved in the VDL Company and its present program of destroying the native wildlife habitats in their expansion plans.
This same behind the scenes State government maneuvering individual was in fact the former chairman of Forestry Tasmania, thus did hold the position of top-dog, especially when it came to ignoring the mass slaughters of native wildlife and their habitats via their (Forestry Tasmania) much reviled and maligned Ancient and Old Growth Forest clear-felling followed by their ruinous scorched earth degradations upon and throughout our Tasmania.
I feel it is in the public interest to publish this information for those who wish to know the main player on the list of this State’s most anti-the-Tasmanian-environment and land degrading influences in this State.