The Greens have responded to ongoing community concerns by drafting legislation to prevent the Mambo Wetlands from being cleared and developed, as was planned by the Port Stephens Council.
Legislation will be soon introduced by the Greens to the New South Wales Parliament to compulsorily acquire the Wetlands at Salamander Bay and the koala habitat found there.
The move comes following strong community action against the state government's sale of the land, with concerns over the area's environmental health and the survival of the already-embattled koala population in the area.
The area was sold in an online auction for $250,000 earlier in 2016, with options for dual occupancy if consented to.
Greens New South Wales MP and environmental spokeswoman Dr. Mehreen Farqui says that although the community has thrown their weight behind it, the acquisition isn't certain until it appears in Parliament.
"We know that the community in Port Stephens are really up in arms about this mess. I'm really pleading to the Liberal national government to pass this legislation: it's sitting there, the community wants it, the environment needs it. We're hoping that we will get support but we won't know until we introduce the legislation."
200 people appeared on the site on Monday the 2nd of October to protest the plans.
However, despite community concerns, the development application stated that the proposal had been "positioned to largely avoid areas of preferred koala habitat", and that development would cause an "incremental reduction of supplementary koala habitat".
Despite this, community members and the Greens remain committed to reclaiming the Wetlands for permanent conservation.
"The Mambo Wetlands are rich in biodiversity, and they're also a habitat for koalas," says Dr. Farqui.
"We must make sure that this land is permanently protected. Sadly the only way to do that since the government has sold it off is to acquire it compulsorily."
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| Community members are concerned about the effect the proposed development would have had on the Wetlands' Koala population. Image: Newcastle Herald |
