The Beattie Government has today moved to stop the Douglas Shire Council allowing development in the Daintree.

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Environment, Local Government,
Planning & Women, Desley Boyle
loca...@cabinet.qld.gov.au
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20/09/04

In a letter to the Council earlier today, Environment, Local Government and Planning Minister Desley Boyle has called on reserve powers of the state and directed the Council to reinstate the temporary ban.

Ms Boyle's move is unprecedented in the seven years since the introduction of the Integrated Planning Act and an overhaul of the state's planning system.

The Council voted 4-3 this morning to stand by yesterday's decision to overturn a Temporary Local Planning Instrument sought by the Council - and endorsed by Ms Boyle in her role as Planning Minister - in June this year.

They also refused a direction by the Minister to introduce a new ban.

Ms Boyle said: "This is the Daintree World Heritage area. I cannot in all conscience support the decision the Council has taken today."

"They have refused my direction this morning to reinstate the temporary moratorium on development.

"I have therefore decided to use powers available to me under state planning legislation to ensure the moratorium remains until the Council's planning scheme is finalised in mid-2005.

"We cannot play politics with the Daintree. It is too important.

"At all three levels of Government, we need to work together to ensure the future of this international icon.

"Warren Entsch's contribution to this debate has been less than helpful, and I call on the Howard Government to meet its international obligations and reconsider their abandonment of the Daintree.

"What sort of signal are we sending?

"People travel from all over the world to visit this unique place. Do we want them only to find a suburb like any other when they get here?

"The importance of the Daintree as a tourism destination cannot be overstated. It is worth millions to our economy each year and delivers thousands of jobs," Ms Boyle said.

Ms Boyle said she had a great deal of sympathy for land owners caught up in the current deliberations.

"I want to reassure them that today's decision is not about which blocks specifically must be conserved, or which may be built on.

"Those are decisions that will be made during the planning scheme's development phase over coming months.

"The Temporary Local Planning Instrument that I will put in place this week will ensure that this process can proceed unencumbered by speculative development," Ms Boyle said.

Ms Boyle praised the leadership shown by Douglas Mayor Mike Berwick in the face of intense scrutiny and enormous pressure.

The initial ban - put in place by the Council in June - was to be in place until the Shire's new planning scheme was up and running in mid-2005.

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Louise Foley on 3227 8825 or 0407 966 829