In an ongoing effort to get through to the Queensland Government, our local ratepayers association is considering a full-page advertisement in the environmental liftout of a local newspaper. It would include an open letter to the Premier of Queensland, the Hon. Anna Bligh MP:
Dear Madam Premier,
Residents and business operators within the Daintree rainforest take their custodial responsibilities very seriously; after all, it is also their own futures they are protecting. They possess an extraordinary knowledge of the area’s global environmental significance and understand the importance of
sustaining a world-class ecotourism economy.
Every year, over sixty businesses attempt to showcase their bona fides as environmental custodians to the half-million or so travellers from the world-over, but the all-important partnership between the host community and its ecotourism clientele, is undermined by the disgrace and impropriety of the world’s worst-practice electricity supply; hundreds of concurrently running engine-generators spewing pollutants into the last remnant of the oldest surviving rainforest in the world. It is anathema to the custodial community and travel altruism is understandably incensed. It is also economically crippling, with fuel prices fast approaching $2/litre; a single family’s modest electrical needs may cost around $170/week for the fuel alone to generate electricity through an internal combustion engine.
Any justification for adherence to the existing policy of excision, as a development choke, is redundant, as the Daintree is now more rigorously regulated than probably anywhere else on the planet. The local community calls upon the Queensland Government to embrace a new partnership, that protects, to the greatest possible extent, the exceptional environmental and ecotourism values, including the people and communities, through renewable optimisation, innovation, development and provision of world’s best-practice electricity supply.
Together we can do much better.
Your faithful partners in protection,
etc.,
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
With Australia’s local government meeting to discuss the environment next week up your way, you have an excellent opportunity to promote tourism and a sustainable power supply.
Staying at the luxurious Shangri La Hotel, at the Marina, local government councillors will be able to enjoy a barrier reef cruise or a walk in the National Park before the hard task of the conference.
This event is sponsored by both State and Federal Taxpayers as well as local ratepayers. The local green party councillor from Hobart is not letting a few tonnes of GHG emmisions stop him for a quick business trip to your neck of the woods. Hopefully you might raise the issue with some of them!