[Small teaser-photo cropped & collage from two of paddlers and dredge © Yanni]
Len Warfe & other Blue Wedge protesters cropped from original photo ©Tanya Fry
In 2008 Blue Wedges [the community group defending Port Phillip Bay against drastic restructuring through dredging] joined Somali pirates, Peruvian raiders and Gulf terrorists on the US Office of Naval Intelligence's international threat list, as a credible threat to international shipping [1]. Clearly whoever arranged that “Intelligence” listing (presumably someone in government and close to senior police) needs to go and take a cold shower.
Mark Adams on beach: © Yanni
Court dismisses charges against the protesters
Paddlers outside court cropped from photo by Patsy Crotty. L to R: Tanya Fry, Marc Godfrey, Lawyer Michael Morehead, Neale Adams, Mark Adams.
Last month (30th March 2009) in the Frankston Magistrate’s court rational thought prevailed, when Magistrate Rod Crisp dismissed charges against six protestors, who last year paddled out to meet the [dredge] Queen of the Netherlands. Magistrate Crisp described the protest as a peaceful gesture of a “pantomime” nature, and said in a civilised democracy such actions should attract minimal penalties.
The paddlers went to meet the Queen because there was no other way left to show opposition to the deeply unpopular channel deepening project.
Sore losers, Big Government and Big Business gang up against Victoria's people and ecology
After exhaustive public hearings, in 2005 an Independent Panel recommended the project should not proceed. Stunned business supporters quickly embarked on a campaign to re-instate the project, with the Bracks government ordering a “Supplementary” EES. Unsurprisingly, in 2007 the S-EES recommended the project should proceed in the presence of the same risks and at considerably more cost than in 2005,.
Despite an inflated economic case, numerous risks, a manipulated assessment process, and overwhelming public opposition (over 60,000 people signed two petitions, numerous well attended rallies and public meetings, an estimated 10,000 letters sent to the Brumby government), the project was back on the books, and is now underway. Big government and big business had ganged up on Victoria’s people and ecology.
Your $1b+ buys 6 sq.km unofficial toxic dump, bigger tides, risk to shipping, underwater avalanche
Thanks to Mr. Brumby we now have a 6 sq. km unregulated and unlicensed toxic dump underway in the Bay (which could not happen on land), extensive rockfall at the Entrance, increased risk to shipping, and increased tide heights. The $1 billion+ debacle continues whilst trade and consumption levels fall dramatically world wide. To achieve return on investment, PoMC requires a quadrupling of trade through the port by 2035, but already they are well off target, with volumes dropping dramatically in recent months. It will be years, if ever, before such growth might in theory be achieved. And where’s the evidence that recovery will follow the same trajectory we were on before the great “global financial crisis”? Hopefully, any recovery will be driven by something other than cramming more low cost items from the sweat shops of Asia into our already over stuffed homes.
PoMC, a state owned corporation, enjoying the status and protection afforded an Essential Service, with no significant competition from any other port in the state, is now splurging $millions to advertise itself. Why? Mr. Brumby has invested in yet another project well past its use-by date before it has even been completed. Channel deepening, like De-Sal and the North South pipeline has been about Mr. Brumby refusing to back down. It is certainly not about good government.
Democracy in trouble
Cropped from original photo © Yanni
It seems that we can no longer trust elected government to act on our behalf. Otherwise, how did a law abiding group like Blue Wedges end up on the same terror suspect list as Somali pirates and Gulf terrorists? In my view, it’s time for referenda to be conducted on all major social and infrastructure issues. At least then, the democratic principle of majority rule would prevail. Trusting one another is surely better than relying on a handful of politicians who, from one election to the next, are not answerable to a single one of their constituents and are not legally bound to uphold a single one of their elections promises.
Not terrorists
Paddlers with sign cropped from original by © Yanni
Our fellow travellers, the paddlers, aren’t terrorists. They are courageous people who stood up for the Bay against an undemocratic government. History will show it's the people who had the courage to stand up against Mr. Brumby who are the real heroes.
[1] ‘Pirates of the Bay’ The Age 28th January 2008
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