[Greens-Media] FW: Greens MP, Local Councillor, and President of the Friends of the Koala will talk about the impact of the Pacific Highway on Koalas in Ballina.

[Mehreen Faruqi]

Matt Hilton
Legislative, Policy and Media Adviser

Office of Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC
Legislative Council | NSW Parliament
E: matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au<mailto:matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au>
P: (02) 9230 2625 | M: +61423106247|F: facebook.com/mehreenfaruqi | T: @MehreenFaruqi | W: mehreenfaruqi.org.au
Mail: Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

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From: Mehreen Faruqi
Sent: Monday, 17 February 2014 12:47 PM
To: Mehreen Faruqi
Subject: Greens MP, Local Councillor, and President of the Friends of the Koala will talk about the impact of the Pacific Highway on Koalas in Ballina.

MEDIA ALERT
17-2-2014
MEDIA EVENT - Tuesday 18th February @ 1pm at Lismore Koala Centre or by other arrangement

Greens MP, Local Councillor, and President of the Friends of the Koala will talk about the impact of the Pacific Highway on Koalas in Ballina.

PUBLIC MEETING - Tuesday 18th February @ 7pm at the Ballina RSL Club

Greens NSW Environment and Roads and Ports Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, will visit Ballina on the 18th of February to speak at a public meeting to save the Ballina Koalas and protect the Blackwall Range from a Pacific Highway upgrade that unnecessarily cuts through pristine koala habitat. Ballina Greens Councillor, Jeff Johnson, has been campaigning locally on the issue and highlighted the impact on local koala populations, including through a new report commissioned by Ballina Council.

Dr Faruqi said:

"I have been researching this issue since local members of the Ballina community approached my office late last year so I am looking forward to visiting Ballina and seeing the potential impact directly.

"This is a high risk plan that endangers our iconic North Coast koalas. The good news is that there are already a number of routes identified by the RMS that do not impact the koala population. The minister can deliver both an upgraded and safer Pacific Highway and protect our North Coast koalas.

"The Minister for Roads and Ports has said that a major reason for the significant deviation of the upgraded Pacific Highway into the Blackwall Range is to provide a source of fill and reduce costs. This Government is wasting billions of dollars on tollways in Sydney so it is unacceptable that they cannot find funds to prevent a nationally important Koala colony being put at risk, especially when there are upgrade options that don't impact on their habitat.

"I urge the community to sign the community petition to save the Ballina Koala being circulated by Clr Jeff Johnson and to visit my website to email the Minister their thoughts directly", she concluded.

Clr Jeff Johnson said:

"The Ballina Koala Study is a game changer, it shows that we have a nationally significant Koala population that should be protected by the EPBC Act. This law was put in place for precisely this reason, to protect important environmental areas.

"The Federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt should move to protect the Blackwall Range and the many threatened species that call it home. It's obvious that the NSW government has chosen this route to access cheap fill. Our Koalas are worth more than that", said Cr Jeff Johnson

'If the highway bisects this nationally significant Koala habitat it could spell the end for Ballina's Koalas", he stated.

Dr Faruqi will also be speaking at a community forum on Tuesday 18th of February in Ballina at the Ballina RSL at 7pm.

Clr Jeff Johnson's petition can be found here: http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/save-ballina-s-koala-s
Dr Faruqi's online resource to email relevant politicians can be found here: https://mehreenfaruqi.good.do/koalas

Dr Faruqi is a civil and environmental engineer and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales. Prior to entering politics, Dr Faruqi was an Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Business Technology Program at the UNSW Australian School of Business.

Media Contact for Dr Faruqi: Matt Hilton 0423-106-247

Clr Jeff Johnson: 0438-677-202





Matt Hilton
Legislative, Policy and Media Adviser

Office of Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC
Legislative Council | NSW Parliament
E: matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au<mailto:matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au>
P: (02) 9230 2625 | M: +61423106247|F: facebook.com/mehreenfaruqi | T: @MehreenFaruqi | W: mehreenfaruqi.org.au
Mail: Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

This email is solely for the named addressee and may be confidential. You should only read, disclose, transmit, copy, distribute, act in reliance on or commercialise the contents if you are authorised to do so. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify the sender by email immediately and then destroy any copy of this message. Except where otherwise specifically stated, views expressed in this e-mail are those of the individual sender.
[Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: MC900437266[1]]  Please consider the environment before printing this email.