This response to the surprising article published in The Gold Coast Bulletin, (see below), was sent to the Editor on 19 December 2014. Such pieces as these rarely get published, so it is being posted here. One wonders if governments will ever listen. Politicians seem to know no shame.
One has to be alarmed, if not ashamed, when World Heritage
regions are perceived merely as ‘prime real estate’ that has financial
potential that is being neglected, ‘wasted.’ Would anyone talk about the Taj
Mahal, Chartres Cathedral or Uluru in this manner: ‘multi-million dollar, prime
real estate’? The article in The Gold Coast Bulletin, ‘Battle over
multi-million dollar parcel of land at Springbrook has heated up between
government and conservationists,’ unabashedly describes the land that is the
subject of the report as ‘Hinterland prime real estate.’ It is land that has
been identified as critical for World Heritage protection, has been purchased
by the government for the people of Queensland, and is currently being restored
by ARCS.
Astonishingly, our brazenly brash politicians, seemingly led
by the local MP, Ms Bates, who has had her own problems since coming into
power, want to treat World Heritage as meaningless, just as a potential
promotion for profit. The concern is that a World Heritage listing places
obligations on governments at all levels. It is never a mere given that can be
treated with a casual carelessness, as if it meant little more than an
abstract, formal title or a commercial branding. The listing generates responsibilities.
Our Great Barrier Reef is encountering this problem that governments seem to
think can be managed with the usual spinning of cunning words.
If we do not start caring for our World Heritages places,
then they will be lost. Governments may not worry, but the world does. It is
watching. It is simply not good enough to have a politician rave on about the
public being excluded, tracks being closed and feral animals taking over
Springbrook while businesses apparently fail, when it is the State that manages
the highly fragmented National Park that forms the core area for public access
to this World Heritage place. Instead of bleating on with what looks very much
like some personal grudge, our politicians might start concentrating on the
affairs that they are now neglecting, and start investing in the maintenance,
improvement and protection of the National Park areas they presently control.
Is this stance being taken with the hope that private
enterprise might come in and take all of this ‘green’ nonsense over and do
something ‘useful’ with this quality land in order to boost the State’s
coffers? If things to do with our World Heritage can only been seen as
involving ‘multi-million dollar, prime real estate’ and highly profitable
businesses, then there is little hope that such ignorance will ever envisage
matters otherwise. It appears that the only hope is to seek out representatives
who do understand and are prepared to fight for futures, not to sell them off
to the highest bidder or to lease them out indefinitely.
Rigour and commitment are needed when it comes to
environmental care, not snide political games that seem to dredge personal
gripes and blame others for government’s failures.
THE ARTICLE
REALESTATE
Battle over multi-million dollar parcel of land at
Springbrook has heated up between government and conservationists
JACK HOUGHTON
GOLD COAST BULLETIN
DECEMBER 19, 2014
Rolling
hills at Springbrook. Pic by Luke Marsden.
A MULTI-MILLION dollar
battle over Hinterland prime real estate is heating up between the State
Government and conservationists.
Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates said
the contract for 56ha of Rainforest Conservation Society-controlled Springbrook
Mountain land would expire in 2018.
It is understood Parks
Minister Steve Dickson has no plans to renew the contracts when they expire in
2018.
The move has angered
conservation society boss Aila Keto who says her group has been maintaining the
land for more than a decade at no cost to taxpayers.
Dr Keto landed lucrative
contracts from the Beattie government in 2005 which gave her group unfettered
control of the land.
Conservationists
are unhappy with MP Ros Bates.#
Ms Bates says ARCS
environmentalists have been living rent-free in Springbrook, treating the area
as a private resort.
Dr Keto, however, says her
group has been busily restoring the land in a bid to retain its World Heritage
status.
“The State Government does not
care about heritage status and they want us to maintain the area but give them
all the profits,” she said.
“We use all the profits to
continue to restore the area but the State Government just wants to have a
steady income stream to put wherever they want, not necessarily back into
Springbrook.
“If they take control of the
land back, it will lose World Heritage status within years and all our hand
work will be lost.”
Ms Bates says the
environmentalists had locked the public out of key walking paths and warned
ferals cats were on the rise.
“They have shut the gates and
local businesses have gone bust,” she said.
“I have heard reports of feral
cat populations exploding and we cannot get in there to stop it.
“We need to open the parks up
again and bring tourists back to the area before it is too late.”
The Beattie government’s spent
more than $40 million buying up key lots in Springbrook in 2005 before giving
control to ARCS.
ARCS is contracted to operate
Lyrebird Retreat and the Koonjewarra Retreat centre until 2028 and 2020
respectively.
An ARCS member also lives at
2096 Springbrook Rd.
Dr Keto and her husband live
at 329 Repeater Station Rd and it is understood her son lives rent-free at 352
Repeater Station Rd.
Mountain Lodge at 317 Repeater
Station Rd is also used exclusively as accommodation for ARCS volunteers.
#It is not explained in The Gold Coast Bulletin, but the photograph of Ms Bates shows her surrounded by the pink tags that ARCS has placed to identify rare and endangered plant species. One hopes that she is not sitting on any rare plant species. The question is: would she care?
