Stop Toondah Harbour

We oppose the Toondah Harbour development at Cleveland, as proposed by Walker Corporation. It includes an astounding 3,600 high rise apartments, a hotel, a convention centre and a marina, and will cover an area of 67 hectares, including 49.5 hectares of tidal wetlands in Moreton Bay.

The development will permanently destroy over 40 hectares of the Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland of International Importance Site, including important feeding habitat for EPBC-listed migratory shorebirds and resident birds. Moreton Bay is also a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) in Danger and one of 144 Flyway Network sites recognised by the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

This outrageous proposal will have devastating environmental impacts, including:

Destroying Ramsar listed wetlands, a vital habitat for wader birds that migrate each year to and from east Asia, including the critically endangered Eastern Curlew, the endangered Bar-tailed Godwit and 18 other species of migratory birds that feed or roost in the Toondah wetlands
Damaging mangroves that are important habitat for fish breeding and for crabs and other marine invertebrates
Removing or damaging mature trees that are home for Koalas.
Polluting water in the bay during the 20-year construction period, killing the seagrass that Dugong feed on
Eroding and flooding the coast from positioning such a large development in a tidal zone that will be subject to rising sea level and storm surges due to climate change.

The Development will permanently destroy over 40 hectares of the Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland of International Importance Site including important feeding habitat for EPBC-listed migratory shorebirds and resident birds. Moreton Bay is also a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) in Danger and one of 144 Flyway Network sites recognised by the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

A very lengthy Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Toondah Harbour development has now been released for comment by the Walker Corporation.

Submissions on the draft EIS must be lodged by December 6th and sent to Walker Group at engage@toondah.com.au.

The submissions and draft EIS are to be submitted by Walker to the Environment section of the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water for review. Advice is then given to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Hon. Tanya Plibersek, who makes the decision about whether the project can go ahead.

Members are encouraged to write submissions alerting the Minster to your concerns about this development which will destroy RAMSAR wetlands and cause many other environmental problems.

The FOSI committee will be making a response, focusing on the listing of the area as a Ramsar-listed wetlands.

IMPACTS

Migratory birds

Moreton Bay has been identified by BirdLife Australia as the most important site for the Critically Endangered Eastern Curlew in Australia. New data collected this winter (2018) has highlighted the importance of Toondah Harbour for this species. On the 8th of August, 2018 the Queensland Wader Studies Group tracked the return of an Eastern Curlew to Toondah Harbour from Rudong, China. The bird was fitted with a radio transmitter the previous summer before it migrated north. After leaving the mud flats along the Rudong coast it flew direct to Cairns in far north Queensland, arriving on 27 July – a 7-day non-stop flight. It then slowly made its way down the Queensland coast arriving off Toondah Harbour in the second week of August – Exactly back where it had spent last summer.

The Walker Corporation’s proposal will significantly impact other matters of national environmental significance including koalas, dugongs and sea turtles. These impacts alone should provide sufficient impetus for the Federal and State governments to reject the Development.

FOSI has joined an Alliance of organisations opposing this development which includes BirdLife Australia, Humane Society International, Australian Conservation Foundation, BirdLife Southern Queensland, Redlands 2030, Queensland Waders Study Group which is being provided with legal support by Environmental Defenders Office Queensland.

Other organisation in opposition to the development are:

Humane Society International

Redlands2030

Read the blog Unboxing The Toondah Harbour Draft EIS on the Redlands2030 website for more insight on the report.

BirdLife Southern Queensland

Queensland Waders Study Group

Australian Conservation Foundation

Environmental Defenders Office Queensland

Get Informed

Resources

You can find important links and PDFs about the development process at the Queensland Government’s HaveYourSay – Toondah Harbour page.

Birdlife Australia have gathered a great set of tools – fact sheets, flyers, articles and video – to get concerned members of the public, like yourself, informed. Check out their fact sheet KBAs in Danger: The State of Australia’s Key Biodiversity Areas in 2017 – BirdLife Australia.

AECOM is the specialist consultant appointed by the Walker Group to conduct the Toondah Harbour Environmental Impact Statement. Stay informed about the process by visiting their page.