No koala corridors: Fraser | Coffs Coast News | Local News in Coffs Coast

Graeme Singleton | 10th February 2010

The mother and baby koala at Coffs Creek.

Jason Voglsinger

COFFS Harbour’s City Council and its local member are headed for a showdown.

State MP Andrew Fraser last night used a public meeting at Nana Glen to call for council’s draft priority habitats and corridors strategy to be immediately withdrawn.

Among his concerns is that the draft strategy was compiled with input from a raft of government departments and individuals, none of which represented private landholders or farmers.

He said while the State’s tree and vegetation preservation strategy is optional, council had decided to make it compulsory if this document is adopted.

Mr Fraser said other conditions contained in the draft strategy were much more onerous than was required under the Native Vegetation Act.

“The priority habitats and corridor plan requires not only the retention of vegetation but also under a draft regulation adopted in the plan, the restoration and rehabilitation of cleared land on private property,” he said.

Mr Fraser said while the document contains rate relief measures and, in exceptional cases, a suggestion of compulsory acquisition by council, the reality is the strategy has the ability to severely restrict primary industry on private land without compensation.

“The plan also includes a significant tree register which would allow third parties to nominate trees on private property. It would appear that the connectivity approach taken by council in this document relies on unsubstantiated ‘scientific evidence’ in an unpublished document ‘Mackey et al 2009’,” he said.

Mr Fraser said it was ridiculous for council to give credence to scientific data from an unpublished document which interested parties couldn’t get a copy of.

“This strategy imposes huge restrictions on private property and yet again reduces revenue opportunities of primary producers on private property without equitable compensation.”

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