What you can do - write a letter

Ask our politicians to legislatively protect Baffle Creek from any dams and make more sustainable water use choices.

 

Hon. Anna Bligh

Premier of Queensland
PO Box 15185, City East QLD 4002

 

Hon. Andrew McNamara
Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation
PO Box 15155, City East QLD 4002

 

Hon. Craig Wallace

Minister for Natural Resources and Water
GPO Box 2454, Brisbane Qld 4001

 

Hon. Peter Garrett

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
PO Box 249
Maroubra NSW 2035

 

Hon. Senator Penny Wong
Minister for Climate Change and Water
81 Carrington Street Adelaide SA 5000

Hon. Kevin Rudd MP

Prime Minister

Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600

 

 

Here is a form letter you can send to the politicians above, just fill in a few sections (the to address, dear whoever it is to, and your signature, date and address) and send. Or click here for a version you can print.

 

To:


Re: Please declare Baffle Creek a Wild River


Dear


I am very concerned that Baffle Creek may be dammed, and support Friends of the Baffle Basin's campaign to Keep Baffle Flowing Free.


I believe that Premier Anna Bligh's declaration that the Baffle would not be dammed during her time as premier is helpful, and I am grateful for her support. However, it needs to be written into legislation for the sake of future generations, not just for the life of this government. A likely fit is the Queensland government's 'Wild Rivers Program'.


Baffle Creek's crucial location in highly populated SE Qld means that its near pristine nature is under much more threat than the previously nominated rivers (in remote Cape York and Fraser Island). Feeding on to the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the northern end of the Great Sandy Marine Park is further justification for careful management of the Baffle Creek Basin.


The numerous National Parks in the Baffle Basin have allowed fishing and other nature-based tourism activities to prosper, and the declaration of Baffle Creek as a Wild River will ensure the future of these important industries. The natural and cultural values indicative of a "Wild River" are all present.


It is time to use the flexible nature of the Wild Rivers program, allowing for greater human impact, to protect the more developed rivers like Baffle Creek that are under threat now.


Finally, I understand the pressure governments are under to provide water solutions to local constituents - in particular, industry. But further centralisation of water supplies is not sustainable. In this era of radical climate change it is important that we decrease the cost of water both financially and environmentally. Our past paradigms of shipping water from a centralised inland store whilst heavy rainfall areas on the coast wash trillions of litres of water off roofs and roads into the ocean is inefficient, expensive and tragically killing our beaches and marine life.


Stormwater harvesting is the common sense of the future, and I urge all levels of government to not only fast-track large scale plans but also to continue to offer incentives and education to move to more decentralised storage and capture methods and greater individual responsibility for sustainable water use.


Yours sincerely