As I said to WIN News, I remain opposed to development at Behana Gorge, whether as a quarry or as anything else for that matter, and I will make sure that is well known. Like many locals Ive grown up going to Behana Gorge, and residents and visitors alike have swum, canoed, fished and bush walked there. If ever government needed an example of real local opposition to a project, the Save Behana Gorge group is it. I appreciated the call from longtime campaigner John Rossi during the week and I offered my support to him, to Paul Rossi, Emily Rossi and others working on the campaign. For those not aware of this issue, the State Government is insisting that Cairns Regional Council include the site of Behana Gorge, as listed as KRA 38 (Key Resource Area) into the town plan. Cairns Regional Council do not want Behana included in the KRA - people would be aware that since 1992 they have rejected three applications for this site to be turned into a quarry - based on the, environmental, recreational and Indigenous cultural heritage values of Behana Gorge. None of this has changed, Behana Gorge is still an area of outstanding natural beauty in the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics. The suggestion that the site is well away from Behana Gorge swimming area doesnt take into the downstream impacts of extractive industry operations (blasting, dust, heavy vehicles). Once again, it is up to the people to voice their objection before the 10 December deadline to make a submission to clearly tell the State Government that we do not want this site listed in our local town plan. No development can occur without community consultation or approval from Council. People power has stopped this in the past and people power can stop this again.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 06:35:25 +0000
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