[Greens-Media] Bay Dredging petition children go to Parliament (Vic, Sue Pennicuik MLC and Colleen Hartland MLC)

[Elizabeth.Ingham at parliament.vic.gov.au]

BAY DREDGING PETITION CHILDREN GO TO PARLIAMENT

Greens MPs Sue Pennicuik and Colleen Hartland made twin statements in 
Parliament today about Bay Dredging petitions brought to them by primary 
school children from opposite sides of the Bay. 

Felix from Yarraville and Tahlia from Bentleigh created petitions against 
bay dredging and collected hundreds of signatures from their classmates 
and friends, igniting debate about channel deepening in their schools. 
They were each eight and a half years old when they commenced their 
petitions, but worked independently and met for the first time in 
Parliament.

"Tahlia feels very frustrated but feels that she has achieved something by 
undertaking this action," said Sue Pennicuik MLC in Parliament today

"The commencement of dredging at the Entrance to the Bay where half a 
million cubic metres of rock will be removed is an act of recklessness and 
vandalism of a precious asset which the government should be protecting 
fro all Victorians now and in the future," said Ms Pennicuik

"I agree with Felix.  Our quality of life is destroyed if we don't have a 
clean environment", said Colleen Hartland MLC in Parliament today. 

"Felix's petition says: 'The environment is way more important than money! 
 I mean who wants to be a millionaire and [sic] a bad country for looking 
after the environment.  The dredging threatens the bay and the creatures 
that live in it.  The bay belongs to the sea creatures, not the 
government'."

"I met Felix at an MTAG rally.  The rally was about the extra trucks that 
will roll through our residential streets because of the port expansion", 
she said.

"Diesel fumes are already harming school children in our area.  Children's 
lungs are more important than money.  I invite everyone to attend the next 
MTAG rally on April 12th at 11am on the corner of Williamstown Road and 
Francis Street in Yarraville, where I first met Felix", said Ms Hartland
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