The Honourable Tanya Plibersek, federal Environment Minister, paid a visit to Cleveland last week to meet members of the community and hear their deep concerns regarding the Walker Corporation’s final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its proposed Toondah wetlands real estate scheme.
Stephen MacDonald, President of Redlands2030, expressed gratitude for the Minister’s willingness to hear directly from members of the Toondah Alliance, many of whom have been actively campaigning against the proposed mega development for more than a decade.
Ms. Plibersek is expected to render a ministerial decision on the project by April 23, 2024.
During the meeting, Alliance members delivered brief presentations to the Minister, highlighting flaws, deficiencies, omissions, and scientific credibility issues they found within the EIS document.
“There continues to be significant local, national, and international opposition to this real estate scheme,” Mr. MacDonald said.
“Over 26,000 individuals expressed opposition during community consultations for the draft EIS, and in recent months, thousands more have urged the federal government to reject the project.
The group said local opinion polls consistently showed that about 85% of locals were against the development.
The group voiced their concern that the proposed development would threaten more than 40 hectares of internationally sensitive Ramsar wetlands. Migratory birds, including the critically endangered Eastern Curlew, that rely on these wetlands for feeding before their journey back to the Arctic Circle.
Additionally, they said the development would threaten the survival of the well known Toondah koala colony.
