White Elephant Makes a Big Point at Parliament

Around 100 people made the 7 hour trip from Mallacoota, 3 hours from Bairnsdale and from Melbourne to attend the rally on the Parliament House steps today.

Coordinator of  Save Bastion Point Campaign, Jenny Mason told the crowd that the East Gippsland Shire had refused to take on board findings of the EES Inquiry Panel that recommended a lower impact development and in the recent Government Review had again failed to listen to the 78% of review submissions that wanted a smaller development. 

Sue Pennicuik MLC for the Greens said that the whole of Government Review had strongly recommended a less environmentally damaging, less costly proposal that rated highest under the Review analysis. Why had the Government ignored this in granting Coastal Management Consent for Option 3b?

Simon Branigan, Victorian National Parks Association Marine and Coastal Project Officer said that no beach in Victoria is now safe from development. He also passed on the information that Bastion Point had now been rated the most endangered Australian wave in the Surfrider Foundation Australia top eight endangered waves.

The Media Release for the event may be seen here.

See media coverage in the Eden Magnet and Weekly Times, Bairnsdale Advertiser Front Page, page 2 and page 3.