Each International Buy Nothing Day since 2002 we have attempted raising awareness of the link between the expansion of Port Botany and the growth in imports and the loss of most of Penrhyn Estuary and Botany Beach under the Port expansion. The first attempt scored a reference in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald and a short clip on the SBS news. This year we handed out thousands of flyers and sent off press releases but unfortunately could not compete with an election as well as rain. But we did get positive responses from people at the Walk Against Warming march; most of those were unaware of the recreational and bird habitat significance of the area.
A few of us did show up on Saturday morning to greet a dozen or more cormorants sitting on Penrhyn jetty. On either side of the pathway to the jetty A4 laminated posters were nailed to wooden posts. The posters were headed Botany Bay and Catchment Alliance and the content was critical of BBACA.
We don’t know who went to the trouble of composing this, laminating copies and nailing them to posts around Penrhyn but it was obviously someone who watches our website, is adequately resourced to make up the posters and confident enough to nail them to Maritime/Sydney Ports property at Penrhyn.
The key lines are these: “except in my backyard”; “ill informed submissions on the management of Little Terns and the Botany Bay Environment”; “opposed to the use of rail”. BBACA is on record as supporting Nation- building rail infrastructure such as the Gladstone/Brisbane to Melbourne Inland Rail referred to as the “Steel Mississippi”, and completing the Maldon-Dumbarton line as well as other missing links to improve long haul rail freight transport so vital for the long-term prosperity of our regional exporters in particular. We have taken the lead from experts in rail freight modelling in cricitising short haul projects such as Enfield. Perhaps our critic has not liked our opposition on Enfield. Our submissions on the management of Little Terns are based on the National Parks and Wildlife Service Little Tern Recovery Plan. Regarding the cliched ‘nimby’ accusation of “except in my backyard”, we have argued for Environmental Justice for Botany citizens. Botany citizens already have more than their fair share of negative impacts in their backyard and deserve to retain what is left of their Bayside environment. So too do the residents in expanding high rise suburbs to the north around Green Square. We are not alone in expressing that sentiment - Commissioner Cleland delivered a similar message in his Commission of Inquiry report into the Port Botany Expansion when he recommended against the Sydney Ports development and suggested something half the size that would not destroy the current recreational areas and bird habitat at Penrhyn and Botany Beach.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 at 1327 and is filed under Botany Bay, Port Botany Expansion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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November 27th, 2007 at 1606
Well it is good to see that someone else feels so passionately about an issue that they will go to all of this trouble even if it is against us. They have obviously gone to the trouble of reading our web site (BTW we can track every IP address that accesses our site) and seem to feel that they might be listed as a member without them even knowing.
Of course, although they are accusing us of fraud, they are the ones who are putting out a leaflet pretending to be somebody else, which is the real fraud being committed here.
Also, at least when we voice our opinions in such leaflets, we always include contact details in the true spirit of open and transparent democracy.
The person who did this is obviously resourceful and intelligent but also devious, embittered and clearly does not have the self confidence to come out into the open to express themselves.
Well, if you are carefully watching this site, and read this comment then I issue this invitation to you. Add a comment to this post identifiying yourself and stating your issues. In addition, you are quite welcome to come to our next meeting and express your views there.
We may not agree with what you have to say, but we respect your right to express your view. We don’t however, condone the cowardly and fraudulent way you have chosen to express yourself to date.