Hon. Sherryl Garbutt MLA
Minister for Environment and Conservation
Dear Mrs Garbutt,
Call for Government to Implement the ECC Recommendation
for a Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary
I am writing to you to inform you that Port Phillip Conservation Council
Inc., a federation of fifteen conservation organizations around Port Phillip,
unanimously passed the following motion at its General Meeting last month,
held at the Hobsons Bay City Council Corporate Centre, Civic Parade, Altona:
"That this General Meeting of PPCC Inc. at Altona endorses the accompanying
letter the President proposes to send to the Victorian Minister for Environment
and Conservation; with copies to the Premier, Leader of the Opposition,
and Shadow Minister for Environment and Conservation; which supports the
introduction and passage of a Bill to establish Marine National Parks and
Marine Sanctuaries as originally recommended by the Environment Conservation
Council, including a Marine Sanctuary at Ricketts Point, Beaumaris."
This letter implements that resolution, and also appears at www.vicnet.net.au/~phillip/bc8_garb.htm.
In particular we trust:
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that the National Parks (Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries)
Bill 2002 will, as closely as possible, give effect to the recommendation
B9 in Part 3 of the Final Report by the Environment Conservation Council
for a 120 hectare Marine Sanctuary at Ricketts Point, Beaumaris. The Sanctuary
will be an excellent neighbour to Beach Park, and the adjoining Beaumaris
Fossil Site, which has been placed on the Register of the National Estate
by the Australian Heritage Commission, and
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that the Bill will include no provisions allowing any fishing or removal
of organisms or other naturally produced material from the parks or sanctuaries,
as such compromises create confusion and fall well short of the level of
protection required for those areas.
Port Phillip Conservation Council Inc. notes that the Government appears
not to have rejected any ECC proposals for Aquaculture Zones, such as the
proposed quadrupling of the existing 6 hectare zone in Beaumaris Bay. We
re-iterate our opposition to that proposal as stated in our letter of 1st
June 2001.
Yours sincerely,
Geoffrey Goode
President, Port Phillip Conservation Council Inc.
17th May 2002
cc. Premier of Victoria, Hon Denis Napthine MLA, Mr Victor Perton MLA,
All MLAs and MLCs with Districts or Provinces bordering Port Phillip,
All Councillors of Bayside Municipality |
