Dredging in Cairns is back on the table 

Only 24 hrs left to have your say! Make a submission using the form below. Submissions Close 5 pm Friday 25th August.

It’s no secret that the Great Barrier Reef is one of the great wonders of our natural world, worthy of our very best endeavours to protect it. It is also no secret that our reef is under enormous pressure following two consecutive years of bleaching.

The cumulative impact of new capital dredging projects proposed along the Queensland coast threatens our already vulnerable reef. So much so the Queensland Government have banned it in most places – including Cairns.

But there’s an exception.

Right now, there is a proposal on the table to expand Cairns Port by dredging 1,000,000 m³ from the Trinity Inlet. 

The Queensland government need to hear from the Cairns community who see this project as a lot of risk for little reward. Together, we can protect what makes Cairns a unique destination.

Will you help protect the Trinity Inlet, the Barron River and the Great Barrier Reef from this large, unnecessary and risky project?

Make a submission using form below.

Read the EIS documents here

Find out more about the submission process here

Use the submission guide provided below or:

• Submit online here using Qld Government online form
• Email: to CairnsSDP@nullcoordinatorgeneral.qld.gov.au
• Post: Project manager – Cairns Shipping Development project
  Coordinated Project Delivery Division
  Office of the Coordinator-General
  PO Box 15517
  City East Qld 4002 Australia
• Fax: +61 7 3220 6502

The post Have your say: Cairns Shipping Development Project EIS appeared first on CAFNEC.

Today a cruise ship dredging smokescreen, tomorrow an industrial mega-port?

Use the easy tool at the bottom of this page to send an email to your local MP’s

Developers are pushing for 4.4 million m3 of dirty dredging in Trinity Inlet, to allow the largest giant cruise ships, cargo tankers, and warships into our harbour / into the heart of Cairns.
The dredge spoil would likely be dumped on the environment reserve and restored wetlands at East Trinity and then, in an annual battle against nature to keep the channel open, they’d dredge and dump around an additional 100,000 m3 into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to maintain the channel. The economics just don’t stack up, the project would cost taxpayers around $440 million, and benefit only a handful of businesses.

Offshore dumping of dredge spoil in the GBR Marine Park 2014 – expanding the Cairns channel would significantly increase the amount of maintenance dredging and dumping required annually. © Josh Coates/CAFNEC/WWF

But it doesn’t stop there!
The same vested interests are now calling for Cairns to be made into a priority industrial port. This would allow unlimited capital dredging for port expansion in the future and risks turning Cairns into an industrial mega-port like Gladstone.

The case for priority port status does not add up, Cairns is not and never should be a large bulk commodity port. Our commitment to UNESCO to prevent new dredging in ports like Cairns was crucial in preventing recent ‘at risk’ listing for the reef. If we break our promise we open the door to at risk listing and would send the wrong message to potential tourism visitors. This would have negative impacts on the economy.

Nobody wants to hold back the economic future of Cairns, but new dredging threatens to do just that and is not necessary for our industries such as tourism, sugar export and defence to continue.

Use the easy tool at the bottom of this page to send an email to your local MP’s

Other things you can do:

1. Click here to sign the Parliamentary petition saying that you want a sustainable future for Cairns, not an industrial mega-port.
2. Share the parliamentary petition with your friends please use this link: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/petitions/e-petition?PetNum=2441
3. Own or run a local business? Sign the local business open letter on dredging

The post Stand up for the Reef and stop new Cairns dredging – email your local MP appeared first on CAFNEC.

Open Letter from local businesses regarding Cairns dredging and the Ports Bill.

Healthy reef and marine environment = healthy businesses

Do you own, run or work in a Cairns and Far North local business? Do you care about reef protection and our tourism future?

Please stand up to the misleading and damaging lobby group calling for more dredging and inappropriate industrial ‘priority port’ listing for Cairns port. You can sign up to the open letter on the form below and/or download the letter here: Business open letter FINAL web

Over 100 businesses have already signed the the letter which was printed in a full page ad in the Cairns Post on Friday 23rd October. Download the letter and the list of signatories as a pdf here: Business letter with signatories final

Read more:

• No mega-port for Cairns e-petition – sign now!
• Reef report card confirms need to restrict dredging
• Letter from Federal Environment Minister Hunt backs Queensland Government stance on Cairns Port Dredging.
• Other ways to take action: CAFNEC Ports Bill landing page

Please join other local businesses by signing on to the open letter using the form below.

… Want to discuss this further before signing up? No worries, give us a call on 4032 1586

Sign on to the open letter:

[formidable id=11]

Open Letter Text:

We, the undersigned business owners, managers and workers of Queensland, are deeply concerned about the future health of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the world. And it’s an economic driver for our region.
We love our marine environment, and we value the Reef, and the $6 billion dollar tourism industry and 60,000 jobs it supports. Tourism is a sustainable business that supports the local communities, not a select few.
We oppose the changes to list the Port of Cairns and allow more dredging. Making Cairns an industrial mega port would allow unlimited capital dredging. Cairns risks becoming an industrial port like Gladstone. No one comes from around the world to see dredging.
Australia and Queensland made a commitment to the World Heritage Committee to limit port expansion and dredging alongside the Great Barrier Reef. We must honour that promise and prevent an ‘at risk’ listing for the GBR.
More dredging will hurt tourism. There are real and viable alternatives to dredging for cruise ships. New dredging is not needed for a viable and functioning port.
If we protect it, the Reef will continue to provide for us. We take our responsibility to protect the Reef seriously and we call on all our political leaders to do the same.
That means:
• Not amending the Sustainable Ports Development Bill 2015 to include the port of Cairns or Mourilyan as industrial ‘priority ports’, or making any other amendment which would increase the amount of dredging and inappropriate development from what is already allowed under the Bill.
• Renewing the commitment to not spend up to or over $400 million of taxpayers money on new dredging in Cairns under the current EIS process and instead committing to supporting Cairns and FNQ businesses in ways that do not put the environment at risk.

Please, protect the Great Barrier Reef and our coastal environments; it is in all our interests.

The post Business open letter on dredging appeared first on CAFNEC.

CAFNEC is countering claims by lobbyists that new dredging in Cairns Port is necessary for our economic future and reminding people of the environmental risks that would be involved.

With some pretty one sided reporting over recent days on the issue of Cairns Port dredging it is timely to remind supporters that the whole idea of new dredging for our port is ill-conceived, unnecessary and environmentally unsound.
We are reminding supporters that despite recent claims there is no need to dredge for larger cruise ships at alternative arrangements are in place and working and ship visitation is increasing without the need for new dredging. As Ports North have acknowledged to us in a number of meetings there is also no real demand for larger cargo ships.

The economic arguments for the dredging for cruise ships do not stack up as shown in this JCU report.

Dredge spoil dumping in the GBR Marine Park, Cairns 2014. (c) Xanthe Rivett / CAFNEC / WWF

Also those who would say there is no environmental impact are just plain wrong.
Federal and State Governments have wisely ruled out new dumping of capital dredge spoil in the marine park on environmental grounds. Onshore dumping has economic and, if done at East Trinity as the lobbyists propose, environmental problems.
There are far better ways to support Cairns economic future that don’t put at risk the environment that our tourism industry relies on.

CAFNEC urges the Cairns community and the State Government to take claims from the ‘develop at all costs’ lobbyists with a pinch of salt and to stick to their guns in ruling out new dredging for our Bay.

Remind yourself of the reasons here: https://cafnec.org.au/wha…/marine-conservation/trinity-inlet/

Stay up to date by liking us on facebook.

Referring to claims made during a recent hearing on the Sustainable Ports Development Bill CAFNEC Director Josh Coates said:

“Calls for new dredging to occur in Cairns are misguided and have been accompanied by misleading claims.

The whole idea of new dredging for our port is ill-conceived, unnecessary and environmentally unsound.

There is no need to dredge for larger cruise ships at alternative arrangements are in place and working, and ship visitation is increasing without the need for new dredging. There is no real demand for larger cargo ships.

Also those who would say there is no environmental impact are just plain wrong. To say that dredging up the potentially acid sulphate soil contaminated  fine sediments and either dumping at sea or on land will have no environmental impact flies in the face of common sense.

Federal and State Governments have wisely ruled out new dumping of capital dredge spoil in the Marine Park and World Heritage Area on environmental grounds. Onshore dumping has economic and, if done at East Trinity as the lobbyists propose, environmental problems.

Even the Ports North EIS for the dredging proposal notes that ”.. the placement of dredge material at East Trinity is not appropriate based on a lack of long term planning intent for development of the land, its environmental zoning status, prospective impacts to cultural heritage and native title, and the potentially high likelihood, severity and uncertainty associated with environmental impacts. “ and goes on to say that “Placement at the East Trinity site also holds potentially significant human health and public safety risks.”[1]

There are far better ways to support Cairns economic future that don’t put at risk the environment that our tourism industry relies on.”

[1] Cairns Shipping Development Project EIS, conclusion, Chapter A3

The post Lobbying to dredge Cairns Port misleading and misguided appeared first on CAFNEC.

Significant win in the ongoing campaign to protect Trinity Inlet and the Great barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

On Saturday 18th April 2015 the Queensland Government announced that it would not be funding the Cairns Dredging proposal.

CAFNEC has put in years of work informing politicians and the community that this project involved unacceptable environmental risk. We have welcomed the announcement by Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt that Government will not be supporting a dredging project which has been “..exposed as environmentally and economically unsustainable”.

CAFNEC summarised on the day by saying in the media “This project was never necessary, never environmentally responsible, and does not represent a good use of taxpayers money.”

CAFNEC Marine Response team members at the rally for the reef.

Thank you to all of our volunteers and supporters who made this win possible – your love for our FNQ environment makes good things happen. Without your support we would not have reached this significant milestone. Special thanks also to the amazing volunteer CAFNEC Marine Response Team and our volunteer Management Committee for the hours of work they put in to help make this win possible.

We need your help to bring further important wins home – please support us by becoming a CAFNEC EcoStar or making a donation. There is a long way to go to secure the health of our FNQ land and sea and with your help we are making great progress, thank you.

More detail and what now?

For the short term we are on track to avert the dredging of 4.4 million cubic metres of spoil and dumping it within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, or the sensitive East Trinity conservation reserve.

However, the announcement came along side the release of the long delayed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the ‘Cairns Shipping Development project’.

CAFNEC photos helped convey the impacts of offshore dumping to the public. (c) CAFNEC / WWF

The EIS acknowledges that the Ports North preferred option of dumping dredge spoil at sea is not on the table due to the announced ban on new dredge spoil dumping in the Marne Park. The EIS concludes that The Ports North preferred onshore dumping option of East Trinity conservation reserve is “at this time, is not appropriate for dredge material placement”.

Public comment on the EIS is open until the 1st of June and we are calling on both state and federal Governments to rule out future revival of this ill-conceived plan by rejecting environmental approval.

Stay informed via this newsletter, our face book page and our website as in coming weeks CAFNEC will be:

• Providing the community with advice and information to help you to engage in the public consultation process.
• Organising events and activities to celebrate the milestone victory and move forward on environment protection. (Yes, that’s right, a party!)
• Providing thorough feedback on the EIS to the State and Federal Governments.
• Calling for the rejection of environmental approval for the dredging proposal.

Read the EIS at: http://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/assessments-and-approvals/projects-draft-environmental-impact-statement-documents.html

Best Wishes,

Josh Coates

CAFNEC Marine Programs Coordinator

The post Congratulations, the environment wins – Cairns dredging halted! appeared first on CAFNEC.

Sediment plume suspended during Cairns shipping channel dredging 2014. Photo (c) Josh Coates / CAFNEC / WWF

Cairns Post: Trinity Inlet dredging canned after Environmental Impact Statement raises issues

For legal reasons the Environmental Impact Statement for this project is still being released and CAFNEC will be going over this with a fine toothed comb. Community input into this is still important to help ensure that we do not see a return to this ill-conceived project in the future.

Visit http://cairnssdp.dsd.qld.gov.au to download the draft EIS and make an online submission.

This announcement represents vindication for the years of work CAFNEC has put into informing the community, Government and stakeholders about the environmental risks of this project. Big thank you to all our supporters – stay tuned for more on this in coming days.

Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt Said:

A full house as community hear talks from a range of scientists, tourism professionals and environmental experts at the CAFNEC Cairns Community forum on dredging Photo: (c) Xanthe Rivett

“The proposal, which includes dumping dredge spoil at sea, would cost more than $100 million and the land-based dumping options around $365 million.

“It was never fully-funded and anyone who looks at the proposal and its environmental and economic impacts can see why the government is not proceeding with it.”

CAFNEC Marine Programs Coordinator Josh Coates said:

“This announcement is good news for Cairns and the tourism and fisheries businesses that rely on a healthy reef and marine environment.”

“CAFNEC has for years been saying that this project does not sack up environmentally or financially, it is heartening to hear the same common sense sentiments from a Government that has listened to the science and the people.”

“This project was never necessary, never environmentally responsible, and does not represent a good use of taxpayers money. The fact is that there is no need to expand to the port for larger cruise ships, which continue to visit Cairns transporting passengers to shore at Yorkeys Knob.”

“We have welcomed the State and Federal  Government’s commitment to put a stop to new dredge spoil dumping offshore in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. While this has effectively stopped dredging in Cairns this ban should be extended to all World Heritage areas to address dumping proposals elsewhere in Queensland.”

“With onshore dumping options environmentally risky and not cost effective we need to bury this ill-conceived project once and for all.”

“While the Government is ruling out funding this project and has released the EIS for legal reasons it is still important that people have their say, we need to ensure that in the future we do not see a return to unwise, environmentally damaging projects such as this one.”

Media contact: Josh Coates, Marine Programs Coordinator, (07) 4032 1586,  marine [at] cafnec.org.au

The post Halt to ill-conceived Cairns Dredging welcomed appeared first on CAFNEC.

Mr Day states that:

“The Australian government’s latest report on the Great Barrier Reef, submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre last Friday, has been carefully crafted and word-smithed, with many of its claims supported by excerpts from earlier reports such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s 2014 Outlook Report and Strategic Assessment.

But in compiling it, the government has been very selective regarding which facts are presented and which facts are ignored.

With the World Heritage Committee considering whether to officially list the Reef as “in danger”, here are various ways that the true picture is more complicated than the new report implies.”

The article outlines six ways Australia is selectively reporting to the UN on the Great Barrier Reef

1. Many of the reef’s values are not in good condition

2. The ‘ban’ on dumping dredge spoil comes with small print

3. Water quality is still a big problem

4. The biggest threat is still not being effectively addressed [climate change]

5. Not all the recommendations have yet been met

6. More comprehensive monitoring is needed

Mr Day goes on to state that honesty and transparency are essential and notes that “Greg Hunt states the government has “acted with renewed vigour” to address the World Heritage Committee’s concerns. It will be interesting to see what changes will occur in future reports as the result of the incoming Queensland Government.”

The article concludes by saying:

“The Outlook Report released last August by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, summarizes the situation:

Even with the recent management initiatives to reduce threats and improve resilience, the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef is poor, has worsened since 2009 and is expected to further deteriorate in the future. Greater reductions of all threats at all levels, Reef-wide, regional and local, are required to prevent the projected declines in the GBR and to improve its capacity to recover.

This is the true situation the World Heritage Committee will need to consider in June when deciding whether to officially list the Reef as “in danger”. It remains unclear whether the Australian government has done enough to persuade the Committee that things are moving in the right direction.”

Read the full article here: http://theconversation.com/six-ways-australia-is-selectively-reporting-to-the-un-on-the-great-barrier-reef-37161

The post Former Marine Park Authority director slams Government reporting to the UN appeared first on CAFNEC.

The LNP appears to be confused about their own policy regarding the Cairns port dredging proposal in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The community has been told that State Government policy was NO new dumping in the Marine Park. However last week on ABC Radio, Cairns MP Gavin King blamed the federal Government for ruling out dumping of new dredge spoil in the Marine Park and stated that sea dumping of dredge spoil was his preferred option.

Dredge spoil dumping in the GBR Marine Park, Cairns 2014. (c) Xanthe Rivett / CAFNEC / WWF

Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) is today seeking clarification regarding the LNP positions on the Cairns port dredging proposal. The Government has already held back release of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed dredging until after the election, a move that has been widely criticised.

CAFNEC Marine Programs Coordinator Josh Coates said:

“The Government just needs to be clear with the people where they stand on this important issue. It is bad enough that they have held back the EIS to avoid any scrutiny before the election. We have heard that the State Government no longer supports dumping of new dredge spoil in the Marine park, but Gavin King’s comments muddy the waters further.”

Meanwhile State Labor have gone a step further stating that they will ban all new dumping of dredge spoil in the World Heritage Area (a larger area than the Marine Park) if they form Government after the election, but are yet to put a clear position on the dredging proposal in Cairns.

“This project represents a huge environmental risk to our reef and inshore waters. The two leading spoil dumping options are offshore dumping in the marine park or dumping on the East Trinity wetlands. Either of these options put our reef and inshore waters at risk, threaten our tourism and fishing industries and represent a large cost to the taxpayer.”

“We are already seeing cruise ship visitation to Cairns increase, with larger boats anchoring off Yorkey’s Knob and transferring passengers to the recently upgraded facility there. Further dredging of the shallow and muddy Trinity Inlet is an expensive and risky ‘solution’ to a problem that simply does not exist.”

“The LNP should admit that the Cairns dredging project is a dud, but they are cynically trying to keep the issue out of the minds of voters in the lead up to the election.”

“Voters have a right to know what, if any, dredge spoil disposal options candidates support with both offshore dumping and the dumping of potentially acid sulphate contaminated soils on Cairns wetlands still on the table as options.”

CAFNEC has called on all political candidates to make clear their position on Cairns dredging and dredge spoil dumping in the lead up to the State election and the Reef Hour – Election Special event with political candidates Jan 27th. https://cafnec.org.au/2015/01/reef-hour-election-special/

Media contact: Josh Coates, Marine Programs Coordinator, (07) 4032 1586, marine [at] canec.org.au

The post Politicians confused about policy on Cairns dredging? appeared first on CAFNEC.

Dredging and dredge spoil disposal in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) world heritage area is a serious issue. Frank Nemoson and the reef bunch are having a bit of fun in this video but the real clownfish, sea turtles and sharks of the GBR need your help to protect their homes.

The ‘reef bunch’ are from Cairns in far north Queensland and a particularly concerned about the proposal to dredge over 5 million cubic meters of mud to expand Cairns Port. They would love you to sign this petition.

and,

Read more about the Cairns Port Shipping Development proposal.

But the Cairns proposal is just one of many port expansion projects along the GBR coast that threaten the reef’s health. The World Heritage Committee is even considering listing the reef as ‘World Heritage in danger’ in part due to the threat of dredging and dredge spoil dumping.

Check out the following site for more information and ways you can help.

Fight for the Reef – ‘it’s your reef, but you are going to have to fight for it’ – Bob Irwin

The reef bunch thanks you for your interest. Please email us: marine [at] cafnec.org.au for more information on how you can get involved.

The post All About Dredge Spoil appeared first on CAFNEC.

Obama

CAFNEC applauds the pointed comments made by President Obama regarding climate change and the future of the Great Barrier Reef. The President is right in warning that “The incredible natural glory of the Great Barrier Reef is threatened,”

In these comments, which are squarely aimed at the Australian Government, the US President is clearly calling for Australia to lift its game in terms of dealing with climate change.

The draft Reef 2050 plan, has the goal of outlining a sustainability plan for the GBR. In its current form the plan fails to address the issue of climate change. The science community, environmental groups and the Australian and international community are calling on the Government to address this, prior to the release of a final version of the plan.

Our reef is great and it is our national and international responsibility to look after it. The Reef 2050 plan in its current form represents a massive opportunity lost. It is a ‘business as usual’ approach that fails to link desired outcomes to real legislative and planning policy changes or adequate resourcing for action.

CAFNEC is asking all concerned people to get in touch with their local members of parliament to discuss the draft 2050 plan that is currently being considered by Government. Read more about the issues that require discussion here.

Greg Hunt

Meanwhile at the World Parks conference environment Minister Greg Hunt made an announcement that the Government would legislate to ban the dumping of dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. On the surface this sounds like a good policy, but look a bit deeper and this announcement stinks of a smokescreen for inaction.

Mr Hunt’s office was unable to provide any clarity on what the announcement means for the proposed Cairns Port expansion project, which has dumping of 4.4 million cubic meters of dredge spoil in the marine park as one option.

Annual maintenance dredge spoil from the Cairns port is currently dumped in the marine park, but the announced ban only applies to new capital dredging and, it seems, may exempt the Cairns proposal.  Also, given that 80% of current and proposed dredge dumping is for outside the marine park (but within the World Heritage Area and impacting on the reef/marine park) is this announcement actually totally meaningless? Will it actually stop a single sludgy bucketload of dredge spoil being dumped on our reef?

CAFNEC speaks to TV media after the ALP opposition no dumping in the WHA policy. announcement.

Opposition announces dredge spoil dump policy

In contrast to the Federal Liberal party announcement the State and Federal Labour Environment Ministers last week chose Cairns as the location to announce a ‘no capital dredge spoil dumping in the World Heritage Area’ policy.

CAFNEC has made comment on this announcement – read more here.

More action and less spin needed

The Oppositions’ position makes the Liberal / National announcement look like more ‘business as usual’ spin to pretend they are doing something when in reality the main thing that is going on is next to nothing.  Instead we see a Reef 2050 plan with no teeth and a million dollar advertising budget to tell folks everything is OK. The science is clear – things are not OK and without much more action than we are seeing, they will get worse.

We need to be addressing climate change and reducing pressures on the reef to increase water quality and reef resilience. This includes committing to reducing agricultural runoff and getting risd of the outdated practice of dumping huge amounts of dredge spoil.

State and Federal Governments need to listen to the science community, the international community and their own constituents. It is time to take real action to address climate change and reef health via the reef 2050 plan and avoid the listing of our reef as ‘World Heritage in Danger’.

The post Obama, Reef 2050 and dredge spoil dumping policy appeared first on CAFNEC.