Beattie's environment legacy - 10/09/07

The conservation group listed a number of significant environmental achievements during Mr Beattie’s Premiership including:

• The protection of the old growth forests of South East Queensland through the South East Queensland Forest Agreement (1999)

• The protection of Queensland’s forests and woodlands from broad scale landclearing (2004)

• The protection of Queensland’s wild rivers through the Wild Rivers Act (2005)

Lyndon Schneiders, Northern Australia Campaign Manager for the Wilderness Society said, “Premier Beattie’s legacy to the natural environment is significant. He provided outstanding leadership in helping to resolve some of the State’s most intractable environment issues such as landclearing and forest protection.

“The ground breaking Wild Rivers initiative will also be viewed by future generations as visionary.”

“As a Premier, Mr. Beattie was not always a friend of the environment. Policies to promote large scale dams such as the Paradise Dam and the Mary River Dam were regressive. However on balance, Mr. Beattie was a champion of a number of important environmental achievements.”

Mr. Schneiders called on Mr. Beattie’s successor to continue to champion the environment including the long term protection of the rivers and lands of Cape York Peninsula.

“Mr Beattie has put in place an ambitious plan for the protection of Cape York’s environment through the Cape York Peninsula Heritage Bill 2007 which is due to be debated at the next sitting of Parliament. We urge his successor to demonstrate the same commitment to the protection of Cape York’s superlative environment” Mr. Schneiders concluded.

For further information or comment please call: Lyndon Schneiders, Northern Australia Campaign Manager, 0407 667 076