BILLION DOLLAR WHITE ELEPHANT ARRIVES

Hundreds of people from Queenscliff to Portsea have just watched this unwelcome dredge the Queen of the Netherlands enter our Bay.

 

 Photo: V. Sullivan Queen of Netherlands off Rye 29th January 2008

 Southern Peninsula residents don’t want to wake up to this blot on the seascape every day for a year or more. Unless we stop this hair brained project the Queen would be excavating the seabed from Portsea to Dromana then sailing to Mt.  Martha dump ground for at least 16 months” and “likewise Pt. Lonsdale and Queenscliff residents who will be even closer to this ugly destructive piece of machinery whilst it destroys the underwater reefs at the Entrance” says Jenny Warfe, Blue Wedges spokesperson.

 “It’s unacceptable. It’s bad for the Bay, and it’s a $1 billion white elephant, which, contrary to the Port Corporation’s spin will not deliver any benefits to Victorians. The only thing it will deliver is loss of amenity and risks of illness from release of toxins from the Yarra”. 

 We aim to stop this dredge from doing any more damage to the Bay. It turned The Heads into a quarry during the trial dredge in 2005 when only 27,000 cubic metres of rock was removed. Now the PoMC wants to remove a further 550,000 cubic metres. That damage alone is not worth the risk – let alone the toxic bomb that awaits us if dredging ever starts in the Yarra.

 Now that we have Mr. Garrett’s reasons for approving this assault on the Bay, Blue Wedges has several grounds on which to challenge his decision and we are lodging our Application today in the Federal Court.

What’s more an unelected Mr. Brumby does not have a mandate for channel deepening, nor our approval for this project. He is going to be reminded of that every day until we stop this project. It’s time for a referendum Mr. B…..or don’t you want to hear what your constituents think?  

 

 

Rosebud Pier Photo: Dave Bryant

www.bluewedges.org

 

 

 


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