The koala is in crisis.
Save koalas rally Brisbane 2009 (courtesy AKF)
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The voices of the Noosa MP, the woman they call the Koala Lady and an Eerwah Vale activist. The koala crisis led the 16 March edition of What’s Going On? All opinions expressed were ours or those of the people talking to us, not necessarily those of Noosa Community Radio.
Also in that show:
- a local upskilling trainee to tell his story on TV,
- preparing a workshop on children being bullied through the Internet,
- half a dozen people calming their minds with Christian meditation in Tewantin,
- theatre notes
- and a planned sprucing up of The Junction.
Anna Bligh, learn from your party’s history: Queenslanders are passionate about the koala. Before the 1995 election, the Wayne Goss Labor government announced a plan to clear sensitive bushland for a major road to cut through Brisbane’s Bayside area which contained what were dubbed four “Koala seats”. The passion stirred up by people’s belief that the new road would destroy koala habitat cost Labor those four seats. Labor scraped back into power with a majority of one seat, which it ultimately lost because of a voting irregularity in Townsville. So, fundamentally, it was the worry over koalas that brought down the “Goss the Boss” government, widely regarded as authoritarian. Remind you of something and someone?
And if 1995 isn’t enough warning, Labor lost office in a 1929 election because it allowed a massive culling of koalas for their fur.The state government has put out 16 reports on saving the koala and Noosa MP, Glen Elmes, has compiled a chronology on what George Street has promised but failed to deliver since 2003.
“Developers win all the time”
Deborah Tabart, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Koala Foundation commented on shoddy government mapping of koala presence.
Report your sightings on www.koaladiaries.com.au
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“Proper mapping is needed for making reasonable decisions on protecting the koala”
The Member for Noosa, and environment and sustainability spokesman of the opposition LNP Glen Elmes also bagged the government’s mapping of koala habitats.
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“It is very unusual for a koala mapping not to include an area known to have inhabitants of koala”
Eerwah Vale under threat (courtesy PAGE)
Residents of the pristine Eerwah Vale and Ridgewood valleys are trying to stop gigantic powerlines being run down from Gympie to Eumundi which would destroy koala habitat. The government doesn’t want to know about those koalas in particular. Jack Connolly is the president of PAGE, Powerlines Action Group Eumundi.
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We, as people of Queensland demand that the government investigate and rectify the shoddy mapping. If they put the final nail in our koalas’ coffin, they can rest assured that well put the final nail in theirs at the next election. It’s their choice. We did ask Kate Jones’ office (she’s the minister for sustainability) for her side of this story, but have not been dignified with a response. You can contribute to accurate koala mapping by entering and sightings on the Koala Diaries site started by local koala campaigner, Carolyn Beaton.
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“People want Noosa Junction to be a much more natural place”
A makeover of Noosa Junction is in the works and on Saturday 13 March local people had a chance to say what they think about the plans. Shaun Walsh, design manager from “Place Design Group”, the lead consultants for the “Noosa Junction Streetscape Masterplan”, summed the gathering up.
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“Get out there and go for it – it’s helped me”
Brad Smith. (courtesy of Geoff Potter, Noosa News)
Brad Smith, a trainee funded under the “First Start” program, as part of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative, was chosen to appear in a TV series to air on WIN TV, which tells the story of the participants’ experiences. Mark asked him what all this attention felt like.
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“Part of the problem is that parents and police can’t keep up with the technology”
Has your child ever been frightened by anything that came at them from a computer? For example, an email threatening to harm the child and your family if the child didn’t send the email on? This kind of cyber bullying happens to lots of kids. After Margit Cruise heard from a worried parent that a daughter had been harassed like this, the president of the parents and citizens association of Noosaville State School set about organising a seminar with experts to be held later this year. She talked about that to Linda Grace.
part one runs 3’55”
“Two sponsors already giving good amounts of money”
part two runs 4’21”
“You think the rest of the world is getting nicer, but I think it is you yourself that is getting nicer”
Every Wednesday about half a dozen people meet in a chapel of the Catholic church in Tewantin for about an hour of Christian meditation. Diet talked to them after a recent session and began by asking Marie what she gets out of it. You can get more information from the parish office on 5447 1188.
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Noosa theatre looking for drama students to join
courtesy of Yanni Zijl
Synda Turnbull reported in her theatre notes that Noosa Arts Theatre wants drama students to come in for practical experience, especially on the technical side. She also reminded theatregoers of the steamy “La Ronde” opening its run on the 25th of March.
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Help the Tasmanian struggle against the Gunns paper pulp mill
You might remember that early in the anti-Traveston dam campaign the political activism organisation GetUp! helped us fight to save the Mary Valley by mobilising support Australia-wide. GetUp! are now trying to help Tasmanians opposed to the infamous Gunns paper pulp mill and they’re calling for donations for an election ad. If you feel inclined to help out, go to Get Up
We’d love your feedback. You can email us to markrzz@bigpond.com or leave a message at 5447 2233.
To hear the entire programme as it aired click here.
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