The sustainability of Queensland’s environment depends on Premier Bligh.
Photo © Jasen Andersen

Wildlife Queensland congratulates Premier Bligh on her accession to the leadership of the government of Queensland. We’ve taken this opportunity to remind the new premier of the environmental challenges and priorities facing her in her new role.

High priorities

These environmental priorities must be addressed urgently:

• Put in place strategies for the conservation of our biodiversity
• Create innovative water solutions that do not include provision for inappropriate dam construction
• Allocate funding to expand the Protected Area Estate and commitment to the Nature Reserve System
• Realise the need for sustainable population models for south-east Queensland
• Pay more attention to renewable forms of energy with less focus on clean coal technologies in government energy policy.
• Address climate change issues

Medium priorities

These issues are important but less pressing than the preceding list.

• Improve management of the Protected Area Estate through flora and fauna surveys and increase funding for weed and feral animal control
• Increase the Marine Parks Estate particularly with additional green zones
• Long-term sustained investment in public transport systems
• Manage the Great Artesian Basin by increasing pressure and addressing conservation of springs but without distributing gains achieved by allocating the water inappropriately to high consumption recipients such as mining and power industry clients.

Achievements so far

Congratulations must also go to the outgoing Premier on overseeing changes during his term that supported the environment:

• Ending broad scale land clearing through the Vegetation Management Act
• Creating the state Forest Agreements
• Gazetting Wild Rivers through legislation
• Safeguarding Cape York by means of a balanced agreement with positives for the environment
• Banning recreational hunting of duck and quail

For more information about the poultry shed grant scheme and other activities, contact Wildlife Queensland by email or call +61 7 3221 0194.