COASTAL ACTION

Geography Action Week - 1998

Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland.
Looking from Cardwell Beach beyond Oyster Point and across Hinchinbrook Channel.

Port Hinchinbrook Resort

This page has some supplementary information that could be used with the booklet distributed by the Australian Geography Teachers Association through its affiliates. The figures and limited information found here may make little sense without reference to the Coastal Action booklet.

The information provided here comes from very few sources. Students should seek opinions from a wide variety of sources and from the main people involved in the issue.

Students may find some useful sources of information in the Hinchinbrook links provided and are encouraged to search for more using suitable search and directory sites.

Some recent reports

This issue continues to be reported in the media as determined groups continue to protest against the development of this project. Something of the progress of the development and of the protest can be gauged from the following abstracts from news items since the opening of the earthworks in December 1997.

This kind of information can be found easily from old newspapers, the electronic versions of many newspapers and from news sources and archives such as Australian Associated Press (AAP) and PressCom.

Map of the Queensland coast near Cardwell.
It shows Hinchinbrook Island and Channel and the Oyster Point location of Port Hinchinbrook Resort.

Protesters fail to disrupt opening

A report (Herald Sun, December 15, 1997) of the opening of the Port Hinchinbrook Resort, actually the public boat ramp at Port Hinchinbrook as this was the only structure on the muddy, 130 hectare site, included the following information.

'Mr Borbidge told the crowd the development of the first stage of the resort was a victory for ordinary people. It would create jobs and spur the local economy, he said.'

'New Democrats senator Andrew Bartlett and state Greens spokesman Drew Hutton were threatened with arrest after they tried to enter the property to listen to the official speeches.' 'Mr Hutton described Mr Borbidge and the government as an "unholy alliance" and said it was appalling a member of Federal Parliament had not been allowed on the property to listen to the Premier's speech.'

' "There's all kinds of potential problems with sulphate soils and other environmental concerns. "As far I'm concerned the Premier has declared war against the whole environment movement and he's declared war on the environment as a whole." '

'Developer Keith Williams told the protesters to "b***** off" '

'A loudspeaker played classical music during the speeches to drown out protest chants.'

Environmental irony?

Some groups claimed that it was ironic that the Federal Environment Minister Senator Robert Hill was able to proclaim a sanctuary for dugongs along the Queensland coast (Herald Sun, 12 January 1998), but did not recognize the threat posed by dredging near Oyster Point and increased motor boat traffic in the Hinchinbrook Channel.

'The sanctuaries cover a 700km stretch of coast from the Cardwell-Hinchinbrook area to Shoalwater Bay, just north of Rockhampton.'

'Club Mud' opens to an uncertain future.

(Wilderness News, Issue #150, Summer 1998, page 17)

Local wits quickly christened the Resort site 'Club Mud' in a parody of the 'Club Med' image portrayed by the developer but not in evidence on opening day. Wilderness News, the journal of the Wilderness Society reported the following information about the Resort soon after the opening.

'The Financial Review of December 13 asked the obvious: "Who will buy at Port Hinchinbrook?" (Especially with the current economic crisis in Asia!)

'According to the Financial Review, a number of analysts have suggested that the developer's motives "might be more oblique - to be stopped by the Greenies and receive compensation".'
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'However, there is good news: dredging has stopped - the dredge company has gone out of business because the developer has failed to pay the bill. So much for the promise of prosperity for local business.

'Down south, the campaign continues to escalate. Even Liberal members of parliament have joined the battle, with Joe Hockey, Member for North Sydney, making an impassioned plea for sense to prevail in the Federal Parliament. In part, be said: "There has been no comprehensive assessment of Port Hinchinbrook and its environmental impacts. I am yet to see or hear of a report suggesting that the development should go ahead. I have, however, received a plethora of material which more than suggests that this development should be stopped immediately".

'He concluded: "Let us place the onus on the developer to show us why, in the light of all the contradictory evidence, his development should go ahead, before it is far too late." The Wilderness Society congratulates Joe Hockey on his principled stand from within an inactive government.'
...............

Protesters lose battle

On March 14, 1998 the Herald Sun reported that the Friends of Hinchinbrook Society attempt to get special leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia in an attempt to block the resort and marina had been turned down.

'Justice Mary Gaudron yesterday refused leave to appeal, saying there was "not sufficient prospect of success to attract the granting of special leave".'

"A black day"

Under the heading "A black day ......." The Weekend Australian, March 14, 1998, reported the refusal of "leave to appeal" against the building of the Hinchinbrook Resort saying that the protesters had challenged the federal government approval for the work under federal heritage law.

'Friends of Hinchinbrook counsel John Basten QC told the High Court yesterday that Australia had an international obligation to do its "utmost" to protect World Heritage areas in particular the Hinchinbrook dugongs -and the Federal Government could not rely on what environmental protection might be given under Queensland law.

'But Justice Mary Gaudron emphasized the Federal Government's opinion, formed under the heritage law, that any damage to the World Heritage area would be negligible.'

Betrayed over world heritage

Some of the world's most respected scientists and environmentalists lent their weight to the cause of protecting the World Heritage Area near Hinchinbrook Island. In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Howard, and the Queensland Premier, Mr Borbidge, published in The Australian (April 17, 1998, page 10) they made the following points among others.

'We call on Mr Howard and Mr Borbidge to stop the huge development on the shore of Hinchinbrook channel. The two governments have ignored the advice of environmental scientists, who have called for an effective environmental impact assessment to safeguard the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area.'
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'Australians should be aware that they have been badly let down by those in authority and by the developer. They should take action and make their voices heard. If the development is stopped and the area is left alone the site will recover in this type of mobile area. Alternatively, after reassessment, an activity more sensitive to the environment could be considered.

We are concerned because: The wild beauty of the northern channel has been destroyed.'
............
'Large old-growth mangroves, which protected the foreshore, have been cut down along much of the property. Seagrass beds grazed by dugongs lie in a band just off the new artificial beach and could be affected in a number of ways. Beach sand is moved by both wind and wave action and may reach the seagrasses.'
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'Dugongs feed and move in the channel and experts have written that the major increase in boat traffic may affect this shy and endangered species and also kill them by boat strikes. This occurs with threatened Florida manatees in spite of strict speed limits. The harbour and launching facilities will result in hundreds of boats using the Hinchinbrook channel.

'Sulphuric acid has leaked through spoil pond walls from acid sulphate soils on the site. Scientists have warned about the dangers of leaks of acid and distribution of heavy metals over fragile environments from events such as the break in the walls of the overflow ponds, as has occurred in the past few weeks. Specialists have recorded that: "If this level of practice was used in a mine or a chemical factory, it would be closed down."

'A professional economic survey undertaken by Dean Dransfield indicates the resort is unlikely to be financially viable. 'Any collapse of this development after construction would leave an even worse environmental disaster for nature and the local taxpayers to foot the bill.'

Environmental protesting can be costly

Under a heading, Greens forced to pay, The Australian (Friday May 1 1998, page 7) it was reported that the 'environmental group fighting the controversial Port Hinchinbrook development was ordered yesterday to pay the court costs of federal Environment Minister Robert Hill and developer Keith Williams. The Federal Court ruled the Friends of Hinchinbrook Society had persisted in "insupportable claims" and must pay costs, which are expected to amount to tens of thousands of dollars.'

Oyster Point: Another enquiry:

A report in Wilderness News (Issue #151, June 1998, page 4) drew attention to yet another Senate enquiry into the Port Hinchinbrook development. Further evidence made this enquiry necessary and all concerned will hope that it is the last. The following are some selected quotations from that report.

In early May the Senate voted to initiate an inquiry into Port Hinchinbrook. This means that under oath and with parliamentary privilege, experts and government officials can be called to testify to the details of the ecological effects of the development, as well as the procedure and details of the planning process. Hearings are expected to begin mid June.

Meanwhile, the Oyster Point site remains an empty mess. The developer, and the governments protecting his project, have come under fire from some of the worlds leading scientists and, sadly, all that was foretold about the dangers of an acid sludge leak came to fruition in March when one of the walls of the holding ponds leaked - proving once and for all that the site is an ecological minefield.

While governments have remained deaf to all of this, investors haven't. The project continues to languish while developer Keith Williams valiantly claims to be backing a winner: having only sold blocks to himself, his real estate agent and his building contractor.

The Hinchinbrook Channel Inquiry (Parliament of Australia: Senate) Terms of Reference and process for submitting evidence is worth looking at.

The matters to be considered are:

The relationships between Federal, State and local governments and developers in the Hinchinbrook Channel
The effect of developments on the environment of the Hinchinbrook Channel and surrounding environs
Whether governments have met their obligations under the various Acts and agreements that deal with the Hinchinbrook area.
Alternatives to the existing regime.
What lessons have been learned and what can be done to prevent problems like this occurring in the future.

A few extra sources of information

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Created: April 1998

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