Improvements demanded on coastal conservation
By Margaret Allan
NEWCASTLE -- A resolution proposing an environmentally responsible approach to coastal conservation was adopted by a meeting of more than 600 environmentalists and community activists here on September 9.
Addressing the large meeting were Dr Howard Dick, from the Hunter Region Community Forum; Richard Jones from the Australian Democrats; Patricia Forsythe, representing the Liberal minister for planning and housing; Pam Allen, the shadow minister for planning and the environment; and Peter Jackson from the Radio National's Green and Practical show.
While the parliamentarians indulged in the sort of point scoring predictable, community activists voiced real concerns, reflecting an anger at the irresponsibility of the planning decisions to date over key environmental areas, and the impact of Sydney's growing population on the central and northern coasts.
The meeting demanded the preservation of a continuous coastal corridor between Port Stephens, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie/Wallarah Peninsula and the implementation of a management plan for the entire coastal zone according to total catchment management principles. This should precede any policies to accelerate population growth.
Other areas of concern were the controversial Fern Bay development site, as well as Pinny Beach and the preservation of Green Point. Adequate and ongoing funding was demanded for the regional office of the National Parks and Wildlife Service to manage public land within the Hunter Coastal Zone, as was the phasing out of ocean discharge of sewage and stormwater along the coastline of the Hunter region.
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