MEDIA RELEASE 2nd February 2010
SA's lead environmental groups: Conservation Council South Australia (Conservation SA), The Wilderness Society (TWS), Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and Nature Conservation Society of SA (NCSSA) today launched a shared 2010 State Election Policy Agenda.
Download the full Election Agenda. Download Labour Party response. Download Liberal Party response
"We have launched our state election policy agenda on World Wetlands day to highlight the link between sound policy and the health of the environment.One example that demonstrates sound policy is through investing $400 million to buy permanent water entitlements needed to protect the Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth" said Julie Pettett Conservation SA CEO.
"The next South Australian government has to play its part in responsible action on climate change by committing to a peak and decline in our state's greenhouse gas pollution levels to 2014.
This requires rejecting BHP Billiton's proposed 12 per cent jump in SA's total greenhouse emissions and for BHP to have to use renewable energy for the full electricity supply to any proposed new open pit mine at Roxby Downs.
All of our efforts to reduce emissions and use renewable energy must not be undone by just one company for one project" said David Noonan, ACF campaigner.
Planning for bushfire safety whilst maintaining conservation values is another commitment sought. "In South Australia we have a diverse and unique flora and fauna, and beautiful landscapes in which our native vegetation is a key part. These are attributes that attract many of us to live in areas containing remnant bushland.
Planning for bushfire safety in these landscapes is crucial - but we need to ensure it does not compromise the very values that attracted us there in the first place.
A holistic approach needs to be taken, where both native habitat and bushfire safety are key drivers for development planning not the current approach where native vegetation management for fire safety occurs after development has already happened.
There also needs to be greater involvement of ecologists in these decision making processes, to prevent the perverse outcome of increasing our exposure to fire risk, whilst at the same time destroying our native plants and animals" said Dr Tim Milne NCSSA ecologist.
Protecting Arkaroola must also be a policy priority. "No SA Government should ever allow mining in the mountains of the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary...it is simply too precious. The Northern Territory Government would not mine Uluru, nor would the Queensland Government allow mining on the Great Barrier Reef" said The Wilderness Society's Peter Owen.
Download the full State Election Agenda for South Australia
