National Park for North Stradbroke

[BGG]

I can't find anywhere on the site where this has been discussed.

What does everyone think about the announcment that Straddie will soon be a National Park? I regularly visit the island for a bit of camping and fishing but what will it mean to people like me?

Will the annual beach permits be replaced by more expensive short term permits?
Will I ever be able to enjoy a camp fire again?
Will my pooch still be able to go camping with us?

These are some of the reasons I stopped going to Moreton Island many years ago.

I have always considered that the Redland Council was doing a good job of administering the beach and camping permits and protecting the beach areas of the island.

[TimiBoy]

I would be interested to know more on this too. Has there been any consultation?

Or is that process yet to occur?

Cheers,

Tim

[BGG]

Tim, As far as I know there has been no consultation and there has been no mention of any being planned. Nothing like being railroaded.
I'd hate to think what affect the cessation of mining will have on other businesses on the island.
Brad

[Lucky_Phill]

I know that NO consultation has been undertaken with the " Quandamooka " ( spelling ), traditional owners of the island.

about 80% will be declared NP.

I'll dig.



Phill

[Lucky_Phill]

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/envi...0620-yozf.html

The move to phase out the 50-year-old industry over the next 17 years spells the end of hundreds of mining jobs.

However, Ms Bligh said they would be replaced with at least 400 green positions.

Although she refused to guarantee no job would be lost.

"We expect over time, frankly, to see more jobs on North Stradbroke Island," Ms Bligh said.

"We will see more people working in the national park, we will see new opportunities for eco-tourism resorts, the sort of things that we've seen at Fraser Island."

"We know that there are jobs involved. We know that the island economy has a strong relationship with the mining companies and that's why none of this will happen overnight."

Tourism on Queensland's largest island, Fraser Island, has boomed since sand mining there was banned in 1976, and logging stopped in 1991.

Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said green jobs were already outnumbering mining positions on North Stradbroke Island.

"The latest ABS [Australian Bureau of Statistics] data shows that in 2006 - for the first time - tourism and eco-tourism jobs, based on the fantastic environment we have here, have outstripped mining jobs on the island," Ms Jones said.

"This is the future of North Stradbroke Island."

Pressure to create new jobs on the island will likely ramp up in 2015 when the first of the five operating mines, Yarraman Mine, shuts down at the end of its lease.

The last lease expires in 2027.

The wife of a Yarraman miner, who requested not to be named, said she had already expected her husband to become unemployed when the mining lease ended.

"We sort of knew that that was on the cards, anyway," she told brisbanetimes.com.au.

However, she was concerned the government's plan would attract a flood of tourists and national park legislation would restrict island activities.

"It might bring jobs but it will change the lifestyle on the island," she said.
She feared many of those jobs would only be seasonal.

Ms Bligh said the government had announced its decision early to ensure there was sufficient transition time.

"I know that this will create a little bit of uncertainty for people who are working in the mining company ... that's why we're putting in place a long-term strategy," Ms Bligh said.

"Once upon a time, very few people could imagine a Fraser Island that didn't have logging on it. Now no one can imagine going and logging that precious place and that's how we need to start thinking about North Stradbroke Island.
"Sandmining has been a very important part of its history but its long-term future is in the preservation of its precious, natural environment."

Presently, 1.7 per cent of the island is national park.

That will increase to 50 per cent within 18 months and reach 80 per cent, or 22,000 hectares, by the final stage in 2027.

The excluded areas include existing townships, land designated for the island's indigenous Quandamooka people and a proposed recreation precinct.

Ms Bligh also announced the government would negotiate an Indigenous Land Use Agreement with the Quandamooka people, which would include exclusive access to some parts of the island, land transfer to the indigenous people and joint management of the national park areas. ( negoiate after legislation FFS ! )

In welcoming the ban on mining, Queensland Conservation Council spokesman Simon Baltais said tourism could provide more long-term jobs.

"Protecting the natural assets of North Stradbroke Island ensures that island residents will have access to long-term sustainable jobs, something mining can never do," Mr Baltais said.

"Once the mining resource is gone, so are the jobs and so is the environment.
"Protecting the environment provides long-term job security through industries like tourism, recreation and education along with a multitude of services that support these industries."

The mining industry believes there is another 200 years of resources on the island.

Ms Bligh said legislation setting out a timetable for the changes would be introduced to parliament.


Courtesy of Brisbane Times Online.

Phill

[4x4frog]

Stopping the mining on Stradbroke won't help tourism in the short term IMO. We used to head over there years ago and one of the spots we took friends to on their first visit was the mine sites. Sure, the mining will stop and more NP land will be reverted back to bush land but that won't attract any more tourists whilst the regeneration is taking place. That will be a long term outlook, maybe 10-20 years until it's all getting back to original condition.
I like the green jobs bit too. I am sure the miners will be jumping at the environmental jobs that will pay them as well as their current positions(NOT).
Gotta love the spin from the current labor mobs when ever they are blowing their own trumpets.
Probably a good thing for th island but you just wonder where they will now go to get the sand resource they need for industry.

[samson]

If it wasn't for the mines there would be no roads, ferries or tourists at all they provided everything the island has to offer, now the mines have set up the island they take it back typical and what about the industries on the mainland that build the dredges,pontoons and infrastructure and all the upkeep who compensates their businesses after giving them all their time all these years and not taking on other work they just close down i suppose.

[gr hilly]

mines mines mines is that all the ALP can do is attack mines.

hilly

[mowerman]

Another win for the possum police.

It will end up like Moreton.
Higher camping fees.
Much higher beach permit fees

And probably green preference zones to the high tide mark.


Rod.
.

[theoldlegend]

Well, it's started already hasn't it!!

More than ever, this woman now desperately needs the Green preferences to help her get over the line at the next state election, and this is just the first in a long line of developments that this woman will be announcing.

The Green fanatics realise that this woman now needs them more than ever, so their list of demands will be more outrageous than ever before, and they're likely to get them through.

This mob of filthy scumbags don't even represent one lousy seat out of 89 in Queensland, yet they can do these dodgy deals with somebody who's flogged Queenslanders to the point where a lot of them can't even afford to live here any more, but she doesn't care, as long as she gets over the line.

I'd like to see these scumbags come out and admit they've done deals, but of course they wont. They couldn't lie straight in bed.

TOL

[Far side]

What she has done is deplorable
The mining is in the center of the island it affects .02% of the enviroment
In a lot of cases the bush is returned in a better state than what it was previously. It not only employs people on the Island but on the main land as well as heaps of subcontractors this decision is just crap.
When national parks take over just like moreton we will be compressed into small camping zones we cant take our dogs (one of the last beach camping spots where you can take a dog) no fires and plenty of rules. When you go camping to get away from the masses you will end up with crossed tent lines.
Whats wrong with it now Nothing the camping works the place is clean 99.999 % of the campers are responsible its a cheap affordable holiday and a great place to visit.
Thanks Anna not only will I not vote for you and the scumbag greens but now I am even going to volunter to help the Libs/nats at polling booths in the next election.

This mob has to go

[Far side]

The mineral sands we mine are used in a wide variety of products used in our
every-day lives as well as high technology applications.

Rutile

is processed to titanium dioxide to form the basis for a high quality,
white pigment used in paints, plastics and cosmetics. Rutile and synthetic
rutile are also processed to titanium metal for the aerospace industry and for
the production of surgical equipment. Rutile sand is used on the coatings of
welding rod fluxes where it stabilises the electric arc ensuring a superior joint.

Ilmenite

is a mixture of iron and titanium oxides, used in the steel making
industry for furnace linings and for sand blasting. By removing the iron,
ilmenite can also be upgraded to produce synthetic rutile, which can be used
to make titanium dioxide and titanium metal.

Titanium dioxide

pigment is non-toxic and has the ability to reflect and
scatter all colours of light while absorbing ultra violet light. It has
replaced lead based pigments in paints. When mixed with plastic &
paper it gives them a white glossy sheen. Titanium dioxide is used in
the manufacture of many sunscreens because of it non-toxicity and UV
absorption properties. It can be added to foodstuffs such as flour, icing
sugar and sweets as well as cosmetics and toothpaste to improve their
brightness.

Titanium metal

is an incredibly light and strong metal with a high
melting point and is used in rockets, jet aircraft and sporting equipment.
Titanium's lightness, strength and inertness (bio-compatibility) also
make it ideal for use in heart pacemakers, artificial limbs/joints,
spectacle frames and watches. When mixed with other metals such as
iron, manganese and aluminium, it forms alloys which are both
temperature and corrosion resistant. These alloys are used in power
stations, paper mills, oil refineries and desalination plants.
Finely ground zircon is used in the ceramic industry for glazes on kitchen and
bathroom tiles, dinnerware, and decorative ceramics. Zircon is used as an
opacifier in the glaze on tiles, baths, basins, dinnerware and decorative
ceramics. It is also widely used in television and computer screens.
Industrial ceramics containing zircon are used in applications requiring heat
and corrosion resistance. Some industrial ceramics are referred to as
‘refractories’. Refractories are materials that retain their physical shape and
chemical composition when subjected to high temperatures and are
extensively used as linings to protect furnaces and kilns for smelting and

casting of metal and glass and for the manufacture of chemicals.

[Far side]

Heres the other spin on the enviromental impact
Our Environment


At CRL, temporary land use is our goal.
We’re passionate about delivering innovative progressive rehabilitation programs and restoring our mined sites as close as practicable to their original landforms.
We have achieved world firsts and are renowned internationally for our rehabilitation of native vegetation and ecosystems on North Stradbroke Island’s high sand dunes.
Restoring the island’s dunes, which at 90 metres above sea level are some of the highest dunes in the world, is a complex engineering process. However, CRL employees have successfully rehabilitated several mine sites while working in confined, environmentally sensitive areas.
By re-establishing the island’s complex forests CRL is making a valuable contribution to the island’s long-term self-sustainability.

Every year we restore on average 75 hectares of land to its original form and have progressively rehabilitated almost 4,000 hectares. This is a strong track record and we’re very proud of it.
In contrast, other mining companies are more likely to rehabilitate unwanted materials above-ground when their mining operations end.

[ozscott]

Please see this:

http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/stradbrok...new-vision.pdf

And the post I just made today under the Camping thread...and have your say to the e-mail address set out at the end of the above document.

Camping, camping with dogs at Flinders, private 4wding etc all are possibly under attack. Probably the first thing to go with be the right to go and swim at the Keyholes and dogs at Flinders - the Bligh Government must be made to feel the feedback of a LOT of us who want to keep the recreation on Straddie to be responsibly used.

Cheers

[bondy99]

If it wasn't for the mines there would be no roads, ferries or tourists at all they provided everything the island has to offer, now the mines have set up the island they take it back typical and what about the industries on the mainland that build the dredges,pontoons and infrastructure and all the upkeep who compensates their businesses after giving them all their time all these years and not taking on other work they just close down i suppose.

I agree with you there Samson.

If it was not for the sand mines, those who live on the island who are calling on the ban to mining should realise that there would be no seal roads on the island along with the supported infrastructure such as electricity.

IMO. F**k, wake up and smell the roses..let the roads deteriorate and power poles burn and shit, no electricity now that would be different. They can boil their brocolli and pea soup in the fire.