Philippa Skinner
NSW Premier Bob Carr is attempting to introduce legislation to counter a victory won by protests opposing filming of the movie Stealth in the Blue Mountains National Park, a world heritage area.
In late April, the NSW Land and Environment Court found that the special licence issued by the state government for the filming of Stealth was unlawful. The company did not challenge the decision.
The Carr government, however, responded by hurriedly introducing, on May 5, the Filming Approval Bill 2004. The Labor member for the Blue Mountains, Bob Debus, argues the proposed legislation would protect declared wilderness areas by only allowing filming for educational, tourism and scientific purposes.
But Robin Mosman of the Blue Mountains Conservation Society told the May 12 Blue Mountains Gazette, "In spite of government assurances, it will legally weaken environmental protection for all national parks and wilderness areas ... Under this bill, Stealth or a similar film could certainly be filmed with the community having no ability to stop it".
The same issue of the Gazette carried a full-page ad opposing the legislation, sponsored by the Blue Mountains Conservation Society, the National Parks Association of NSW and the Colong Foundation for Wilderness. It states, "The Filming Approval Bill will override The National Parks and Wildlife Act, The Wilderness Act, The Threatened Species Act, The Marine parks Act, and all other NSW legislation".
Under the bill, the environment minister will have total discretionary power to grant approval and will be able to delegate this power to any member of staff, filming approval can be issued by the minister regardless of environmental impact, and there will be no community right of appeal.
To protest the bill, contact Bob Debus at Springwood Office 107-109 Macquarie Rd, Springwood, 2777, or phone (02) 4751 3298 or email <bluemountains@parliament.nsw.gov.au>.
From Green Left Weekly, May 26, 2004.
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