Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Government's Impoverishment Plan for James Price Point

Under 12. URGENT ITEMS at this weeks Broome Shire Council meeting the Broome Shire will be considering the following item:
12.1 CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND IMRPOVEMENT SCHEME
       LOCATION/ADDRESS: Dampier Peninsula
http://www.broome.wa.gov.au/council/pdf/agenda/2012/OCA14062012.pdf

7 June 2012
SUMMARY: 
The Western Australia Planning Commission is proposing an Improvement Plan for the proposed LNG processing facility near James Price Point. The Improvement Plan also authorises the making of an Improvement Scheme. This report recommends that Council supports the intended Improvement Scheme.


We want the Shire to be able to hold its head up high and follow planning procedures that reflect the integrity of the Shire Council and its residents.

It is clear the DSD has disregarded the Shire in every instance of this process and minimized the involvement of the Shire at every turn . It  is doubtful they will take notice of the Shire’s concerns  if the Shire simply attempts to mitigate impacts of this project.

We ask the Shire not to comply with pressure from the Dept of State Development and NOT endorse this plan.

Councillors have valid grounds not to endorse the Land Improvement Plan and Associated Scheme for the following reasons:

•     The EPA assessment is not complete;

•     The Local Planning Strategy and Dampier Peninsula Strategic Plan are not completed. Neither of these plans have undertaken broad community consultation of Shire residents as per WAPC guidelines;

•     Proposed gas hub is at odds with the current recommended land use and current documented long-term vision of our shire under the existing Regional Plan, the Waterbank Structure Plan (DOLA 2000);

•    The Shire has no formal mandate to support a change in current land use from Reserve for Conservation and Aboriginal Heritage (Waterbank Structure Plan, 2000) to Strategic Industrial Site;

•    The Shire has a mandate to uphold the protection of this area based on previous planning  policies.

•     The shire is committed to working on a tripartite model when addressing changes to land use and tenure as per the Yawuru Indigenous Land Use Agreement signed in 2010 by the State Government, the Broome Shire and Yawuru group;

•     The Heads of Agreement signed by the KLC and State Government was a bilateral agreement that excluded the Shire of Broome as the Local Government body and as representatives of the broader community. The Shire need not be obliged to stand by this agreement, that was signed under the threat of compulsory acquisition.

•     The shire has already formally expressed to the State Govt. that it prefers that this process to be undertaken as an Indigenous Land Use Agreement based on consent, and not within the framework of compulsory acquisition (see OCM Dec 2010 minutes); and

•     The Cardno Report (2011) indicates the Shire has not yet received a formal planning document for the project, and the full impacts on the Shire have been unable to be fully assessed. Mitigation and management strategies have not yet been formulated or submitted to the Shire by DSD. The Cardno Report indicates the Shire will not have the capacity to manage the impacts of this project.

Improvement Plan Docs





Meanwhile, in Country, Woodside continue to dig themselves into a hole.




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