Protecting and enhancing our Environment

Division 9 has the opportunity to further progress Council’s vision of becoming Australia’s most sustainable region by protecting areas not suited to development and enhancing rehabilitation of environmental areas to make sure they foster healthy environments for our native species, especially those that are under threat.

Our environmental areas face many threats. Impacts from development is one of the main threats. I have stood very firmly against inappropriate development especially when these developments pose threats to our natural environments and ecosystems.

The motion I prepared to enlist the help of the Local Government Association of Queensland to lobby the State Government to change legislation that is allowing inappropriate clearing on private land. The changes will close a loophole where we are seeing private landowners clear key habitat, including core koala habitat and then subsequently lodge development applications.

Getting my hands dirty at environmental clean up events or tree planting events is something I do regularly and it has been a privilege to work with the environmental team within council. This team do fantastic work with invasive species, protecting critical habitat, restoring parcels of land, beach regeneration, research and education projects. 

I have also championed a number of initiatives that impact on our environment and waterways such as sediment and erosion programs.