CARE FOR…
Together we make a difference
A community helping save Phillip Island
& Western Port from inappropriate development!
LATEST UPDATES…
1. Port of Hastings - proposals in Western Port Bay do not comply with Australia’s obligations and signing of the Ramsar convention in 1974. The Ramsar treaty empowers individuals to be responsible custodians and stewards for the natural world to protect and preserve it for the generations of all species to come. the Action is Clearly Unacceptable under the Environment Protection and BioDiversity Conservation Act 1999 - review ActionTaken here.
2. Keep the pressure on the BURT strategy.
A community meeting in Cowes Phillip Island on 20th of September. 2024, called on the Bass Coast Shire to rescind the Bass Coast Unlocking rural tourism strategy ”BURT”. The overwhelming majority of those attending the meeting oppose large scaled developments on the land and coast of Phillip Island calling for a tourism plan that protects the Island’s farmland, coast and natural environment.
While BURT remains in the hands of the local council , farmers and conservationists are alarmed by its full impact, particularly after the Victorian Planning Minister intervened to approve the Vietnam Veterans Museum at Newhaven, citing BURT as "effectively identifying all of Phillip Island as being suitable for tourism uses".
Please continue to follow and place pressure on council to implore them to protect our natural biodiversity as a tourist attraction ahead of the greed of short term ‘development’ income.
3. State Minister overturns VCAT permit ruling.
Despite VCAT’s findings denying a permit to build the Vietnam Veterans Museum, Victorian Planning Minister, the Honourable Sonya Kilkenny has interfered and approved a development that was deemed to have an inappropriate impact on the adjoining Ramsar wetlands.
The Honorable Sonya Kilkenny is now in a position of power whereby as planning minister of Victoria, she can intervene and approve or disapprove of any proposed developments in Victoria. For favour or disfavour.
Read our media release response - here
Read our letter to Federal Executive Council - here
4. VCAT denied a permit for Caravan Park at Forrest Caves. They found it would be at odds with Phillip islands " wild back to nature experience "
5. Kitty Miller Bay development denied a permit from council based on the impact on landscape, environment, wildlife and the character of the quiet rural area.
THE IMPORTANCE OF NATURE
“Nature provides a service we cannot afford to ignore. Evidence shows
that people are healthier, physically fitter and better adjusted and
children’s behaviour and schoolwork improve, if they have access
to the countryside, parks or gardens. According to Public Health England,
poor air quality in urban areas is said to be a factor in 29000 premature
deaths in the UK every year.
A recent report in the “lancet “ ( the Lancet -- a world leading general medical journal) associates the noise and air pollution of busy roads with “Alzheimer’s Disease.” Fresh air long considered a tonic is not just avoiding pollution. Toxicologists are discovering that air provided by nature is loaded with microbes produced by plants, fungi and bacteria that are beneficial to health and boost the immune system. Even the remote sight of nature has curative effects. Health services have found that hospital patients need fewer painkillers after surgery and recover much faster if they have views of nature from their beds. In 2007 Natural England and the RSPB compiled studies from the UK, US and Europe in a report called “Natural Thinking” highlighting the effects of nature on mental health. One in six of the UK population suffers from depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, suicidal impulses, obsessive compulsive disorders or panic attacks – sometimes in deadly combination. This costs the National Health Service 12.5 billion pounds, the economy 23.1 billion pounds in lost output and 41.8 billion pound in the human costs of reduced quality of life and loss of life. The studies show that symptoms of all these disorders are alleviated with time spent in nature. Measurements of blood pressure, pulse rates and cortisol levels of young adults demonstrate a decrease in anger and an increase of positive mood when walking in a nature reserve, while the reverse is true when walking in an urban environment. Low levels of self-discipline, impulsive behaviour, aggression, hyperactivity and inattention in young people all improve through contact with nature. Studies on children who were bullied, punished, relocated or suffering from family strife all showed that they benefitted from closeness to nature, both in levels of stress and self-worth. “
Extract from “Wilding” Isabella Tree
King Charles Shares Passionate Speech on Climate Change
Partha Dasgupta: financial value of nature.
Care4phillipisland objects…
to “non-agricultural proposals” on sites zoned for farming or in riparian buffer zones of the Ramsar wetlands of Western Port Bay (a UNESCO site) in close proximity and viewable from Churchill Island and or proposals that exert an unacceptable impact on the existing landscape character in environmentally sensitive locations.
Professor Gell, a emeritus Professor of Environmental Science, who has produced over 100 publications and is a lead editor of Ramsar Wetlands: Values, Assessment Management states -
“Australia has a commitment to protect wetlands of International Significance (signed in 1984). Any developments that constitute a threatening process or are inconsistent with its “Wise Use” provisions therefore, the Australian Government must protect its reputation as managers of its natural estate. The world is preparing itself to retreat from rising seas under the pervasive threat of a warming climate.”
There are many agricultural sites on Phillip Island that are highly vulnerable to the ongoing and irresistible influence of rising groundwater and sea levels. This raises the question as to how investors and ratepayers will be protected from this risk if the “unlocking Rural tourism” strategy was to be adopted by Bass Coast Shire. The BURT strategy leaves Phillip Island exposed to over exploitation and over development.
Many farms on Philip Island being held for several generations and a part of the history of Phillip Island and are a part of the Natural Attraction brand since the late 1800’s. the farmland forms a sense of local identity, locality, ownership, therapeutic benefits for mental health and a sense of homecoming. The increasing importance these peaceful, serene, subtly tranquil landscapes are being recognised at a national and international level. On Phillip Island the principles of conservation of biological diversity, ecological integrity and protection of habitat should be a fundamental consideration.
The objective of Phillip Island Nature Parks is to achieve a vision of an Island Haven that can make a significant contribution to Victoria’s and Australia’s biodiversity.
Destination Phillip Island has a strong economic vision to increase tourism and visitor growth in combination with the BURT strategy sets a dangerous precedent for more development on rural and habitat land for critically endangered wildlife.
Both these organisations are State Government organisations and in our opinion are in direct contradiction with one another.
BE INSPIRED to CARE MORE
IN FACT: Growing awareness in ‘70s
Then Liberal Premier Dick Hamer realised the value of the island for the people of Victoria and introduced a Bill into Parliament to protect wildlife and vegetation and enable compulsory acquisition of significant sites. It included a toll on the bridge with funds to be used for environmental protection and land purchase. For various reasons, the bill was never enacted.