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QLD Labor Intervenes Again To Overcome Howard Government Hostility To Enviroment
Kelvin Thomson - Shadow Minister for Sustainability, the Environment and Heritage
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Media Statement - 30 January 2004
The Queensland Labor Government has exposed John Howard's hostility to the environment for the second time in a month with today's announcement to protect and preserve the outstanding natural values of Cape York.
The announcement follows Premier Beattie's historic decision earlier this month to fund in full a $150m package to end land clearing once and for all after the Howard Government failed to deliver the $75m it had promised.
Today's $10 million Cape York Package contains a range of historic conservation and land management initiatives including:
- $7.5 million for voluntary acquisitions of lands of high conservation value.
- $1 million for enhanced visitor facilities in National Parks.
- $1.5 million for the operation of Indigenous Land and Sea Management Centres.
- Funding to tackle weed and feral animal problems.
- The development of a nature and culture based tourism strategy.
- Work to prepare a case to protect World Heritage values on the Peninsula.
The announcement follows revelations late last year that spending of Natural Heritage Trust money by the Liberal and National Parties on Cape York Peninsula has been a monumental debacle.
The Howard Government has utterly failed to spend the money it has promised, as far back as 1996, on property acquisitions to protect Cape York.
More than $7.8 million that was allocated to acquiring land in pristine wilderness condition has not been spent. Four million dollars that was allocated to enhance the management and protection of areas already in national parks has not been spent. Premier Beattie's historic announcements on land clearing, wild rivers and now Cape York prove yet again that it is only Labor Governments that deliver on protecting the environment.
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