Jam Hassan writes:
During Australia’s black summer of bushfires, 80% of the Shoalhaven National Park Lands were decimated.
This area of NSW includes the small beach communities of Manyana and Conjola, which were both devastated by bushfires and lost a lot of property, livelihoods and lives. After nearly burning to the ground, they were left to fend for themselves with limited government support as they began to rebuild their lives.
To rub salt in the still-fresh wounds left by the bushfires (and now COVID-19), residential building company OzyHomes are currently laying in wait to bulldoze the last remaining bushland in the Manyana area for their run-of-the-mill housing estate. Their bulldozers are ready to start clearing right this very moment, and the people of Manyana and the area’s endangered wildlife need your help!
Photos by Max Zappas and Jam Hassan
Over the past three days, OzyHome’s government-issued contract has been fast-tracked and their bulldozers are sitting at two areas of bushland, blocked only by local protesters. Time is quickly running out. Along with the efforts being made through the Environmental Defenders Office, we all need to make as much noise as possible today to get state and federal politicians to weigh in and save this bushland at the eleventh hour.
There are FOUR politicians who have the power to stop OzyHomes and make a huge difference within the Manyana community. Please take five minutes and email the following:
Planning Minister Rob Stokes pittwater@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Premier Gladys Berejiklian premier@dpc.nsw.gov.au
Environment Minister Matt Kean office@kean.minister.nsw.gov.au
Local Member Shelley Hancock southcoast@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Rob Stokes, the NSW Minister for Planning, can call a halt to this but has said that OzyHomes have every right to destroy the forest. The destruction will begin soon, so we must act now.
Rob Stokes Member for Pittwater. Pittwater Electorate Office: 1725 Pittwater Road MONA VALE NSW 2103 Email: pittwater@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Phone: (02) 9999 3599
Fax: (02) 9999 0922
Sign the petition HERE
Follow updates as they happen: @manyanamatters @treading_lightly_inc
As activist and writer Sean Doherty mentioned, the great irony is that the Royal Commission into the bushfires officially starts today.
Claudia Karvan (below) joins last-ditch campaign to save unburnt bushland from development.
Residents say South Coast site saved from bushfires by volunteer firefighters should be preserved for threatened species.
