Community groups, Protect Our Parks and Keep Cooloola Cool, are convening a public forum to help address public concerns arising from the State Government’s proposed development plans for Cooloola National Park.
Keep Cooloola Cool convenor Matt Noffke said the forum would present expert speakers on a range of issues.
He said the information was vital to understanding the extent of the National Park development program, its impacts and the means by which concerned citizens can act to avoid these impacts.
Mr Noffke said local community groups were providing this public information forum in response to the State Government’s failure to transparently engage with the public upon the detail and the implications of their development plans.
“These plans very deeply affect public conservation assets that Queenslanders hold very dear and precious,” he said. “Yet we are all being told, ‘just move on, nothing to see here’. In fact there’s plenty to see here, and it’s not pretty.”
Forum organisers advise that the scheduled sessions cover a wide range of issues.
The event will begin with a Kabi Kabi smoking ceremony and also some words by Kabi Kabi people who say the assessment systems do not recognise them or their knowledge of land and culture.
Protect Our Parks convenor Greg Wood will provide a summary of the project background, the development details and an outline of how people can best express their concerns about it.
Wildlife Queensland president and co-author of the Queensland Nature Conservation Act (NCA) Peter Ogilvie will describe the vital function of The Cardinal Principle within the NCA and the way that this proposed development will act to destroy it.
The concept of eco-tourism and the capacity of on-park development to impact wildlife and wildness will be delivered by Ronda Green, a highly accredited wildlife expert and wildlife tour operator.
“The forum program will go beyond the very significant negative issues by also presenting a section on regenerative tourism,“ Mr Noffke said.
“This new and compelling discipline provides communities with the means to evaluate and secure development outcomes that are optimal for their needs, rather than enduring these needs being ignored and damaged by remote planning and economic exploitation.“
This introductory session will be lead by Dianne Dredge, a partner at The Tourism CoLab and a key facilitator of community-driven redevelopment programs now underway within localities such as Mallacoota in Victoria and Flinders Island in the Bass Strait.
The forum will be held at Cooroy Memorial Hall on Saturday 2 July from 1-4.30pm. Forum organisers advise that seating is limited and request people register by emailing to protectparks@internode.on.net
For more information visit protectparks.net/events
