- Published on
By Catherine Watson
A CONCERTED community campaign to protect Western Port has won the day with Planning Minister Ricard Wynne announcing this morning that a gas import terminal at Crib Point will not proceed.
Power company AGL and pipeline business APA had proposed the floating gas import terminal and a gas pipeline to Pakenham.
A CONCERTED community campaign to protect Western Port has won the day with Planning Minister Ricard Wynne announcing this morning that a gas import terminal at Crib Point will not proceed.
Power company AGL and pipeline business APA had proposed the floating gas import terminal and a gas pipeline to Pakenham.
Mr Wynne said the proposal would have “unacceptable effects on the environment in Western Port, which is listed as a Ramsar wetland of international significance”.
“This has been an exhaustive, open and transparent process and this is the right outcome for the local community, the environment and Victoria as a whole,” he said.
“It’s very clear to me that this project would cause unacceptable impacts on the Western Port environment and the Ramsar wetlands – it’s important that these areas are protected.”
Bass Coast Mayor Brett Tessari said it was difficult for the State Government to ignore the groundswell of opinion against a gas terminal in Western Port.
“I’m absolutely rapt for our community. So many people have fought so hard for this. It just shows what can be achieved if you organise properly.
“This really is a victory for the little people.”
Former state environment minister Kay Setches, who now lives on Phillip Island, echoed the jubilation. “I’m just over the moon. I could open the champagne now!”
Ms Setches rejected a marina on the bay during her term as minister during the Kirner Labor Government of the 1980s.
“History tells us we have to keep protecting the bay. It is such a huge resource so close to such a huge population.
More than 6000 people, groups, councils and organisations made submissions during the environmental effect statement process.
The three councils adjoining Western Port, Bass Coast Shire, Morning Peninsula Shire and Cardina Shire, all opposed the proposal, along with local groups including the Phillip Island Conservation Society.
An independent inquiry and advisory committee (IAC) report was submitted to Mr Wynne in February.
“This has been an exhaustive, open and transparent process and this is the right outcome for the local community, the environment and Victoria as a whole,” he said.
“It’s very clear to me that this project would cause unacceptable impacts on the Western Port environment and the Ramsar wetlands – it’s important that these areas are protected.”
Bass Coast Mayor Brett Tessari said it was difficult for the State Government to ignore the groundswell of opinion against a gas terminal in Western Port.
“I’m absolutely rapt for our community. So many people have fought so hard for this. It just shows what can be achieved if you organise properly.
“This really is a victory for the little people.”
Former state environment minister Kay Setches, who now lives on Phillip Island, echoed the jubilation. “I’m just over the moon. I could open the champagne now!”
Ms Setches rejected a marina on the bay during her term as minister during the Kirner Labor Government of the 1980s.
“History tells us we have to keep protecting the bay. It is such a huge resource so close to such a huge population.
More than 6000 people, groups, councils and organisations made submissions during the environmental effect statement process.
The three councils adjoining Western Port, Bass Coast Shire, Morning Peninsula Shire and Cardina Shire, all opposed the proposal, along with local groups including the Phillip Island Conservation Society.
An independent inquiry and advisory committee (IAC) report was submitted to Mr Wynne in February.
Comments are closed.
Here are two ways of thinking about what has happened …
1) Pat McCabe, a Lakota woman talking about the idea that water is alive and that water is listening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeeAMNxuqio
2) Here is the link to Richard Wynne's Assessment and Report. https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/environment-assessment/browse-projects/projects/crib-point.
Here’s an excerpt from his conclusion …
‘My overall conclusion is that the project will result in unacceptable environmental effects. Those unacceptable effects would result from the operation of the FSRU. The FSRU’s marine discharge will cause an ongoing impact to the environment over the 20 year life of the project. The adverse direct and indirect effects of that discharge on environmental values, fundamental to the Ramsar status of Western Port, are not compatible with the level of protection required to be afforded to a wetland of recognised international significance. The project’s other environmental impacts are likely to be acceptable subject to my recommended mitigation and management measures outlined in Section 5 and Appendix B. That said, I am conscious that, for the purposes of the Environment Effects Act, the Crib Point Gas Import Jetty and the Crib Point Pakenham Gas Pipeline were presented in a single EES and are subject to a single assessment. Accordingly, and in the context of the interdependency of the gas import jetty works and the pipeline works, I can only conclude that if one part of the project has unacceptable environmental effects, the project in its entirety, has unacceptable environmental effects.’ P.56
It's a happy day.
I hope you are able to go out in it and celebrate.
"Once is an accident" aka Hastings Container Terminal
"Twice is careless" aka the AGL gas plant proposal
"Three times is down right stupidity" aka Kawasiki proposal to ship Hydrogen out of Western Port
We can only hope the "powers that be" adhere to this mantra.
What is also striking is that the above 3 projects that would have/still would stuff Western Port have only been proposed within the last ten years.Never mind all the other stuff EG Esse/BHP etc from the past
Someone needs to tell these clowns who put up these projects to, just... leave... us... alone...
Plus instead of spending so much time and money putting them up, just go read the "fish school" or "seabird flock" of environment reports and studies, viz The Western Port Ramsar Plan, that in plain English says, "leave the b....y joint alone..
Thanks to everyone for all the hard work, with appreciation from us, the whales and all the little fishes.
Well done to all, and thank you Minister Wynne for listening to your constituents
Well done to us !!!
A safe outcome for everyone and the beautiful environment.
Congratulations to all concerned.