Increasing pressure on politicians to halt Wallum development

By Sarah Waters

Save Wallum campaigners/protectors are continuing to make sure the highly controversial housing development, planned to be built on a rare piece of coastal bushland in Brunswick Heads, is not escaping the attention of state and federal politicians.

Campaigners have sent NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully close to 2000 emails, urging him to use his position to refer the Wallum development to federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, so environmental concerns can be scrutinized at a federal level.

Minister Plibersek can have the development assessed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act - our national environment law – as Wallum is home to protected threatened species and ecosystems.

Vocal supporter of the Save Wallum campaign, NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson, directly addressed Minister Scully in state parliament recently.

“I just want to bring you back to a matter again… and it’s in relation to a particular project that I now know you will have knowledge of – the Wallum Development,” Ms Higginson said. “We have had so many members of the community appeal to you, to exercise your unique, special powers (to refer the project to Minister Plibersek) - and only you have them,” she said.

In response, Minister Scully, who appeared slightly annoyed, said he asked ‘for advice’ on the topic and he would consider it.

“I’ll bear your views in mind,” he said.

“I know you’ve been making sure people contact me.”

The Northern Rivers Times contacted Minister Scully for further comment, but at the the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. dozens are camping in the trees to halt the path of destruction. time this story went to print, he simply came back with a statement that said he was aware of a ‘range of views’ on the matter and would consider advice from

Despite repeated attempts to contact Minister Plibersek, she has not yet responded.

Last Thursday, Member for Ballina Tamara Smith addressed Wallum protectors outside the gates at 15 Torakina Rd, Brunswick Heads, where the Wallum development is set to take place.

“There are two ways that this path to extinction for threatened species and an extraordinary ecosystem can be halted,” Ms Smith said.

“One is for either the state planning minister or the federal environment minister to call the development in and ensure that species are protected, or for the developer to refer it to the federal environment minister.

“There is no social license for this development and that is why over 6000 local people are protesting and

“Once the bulldozers are in it’s over,” she said.

Nine federally listed threatened species, including the Wallum Sedge Frog and southeastern Glossy Black Cockatoo, have been identified by ecologists at Wallum.

The EPBC Act protects certain plants, habitats, places and nationally threatened species, as they are considered as Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) or protected matters.

Saturday 23 March and Sunday 24 March, 2024