The Australian Conservation Foundation has marked World Environment Day 2015 (June 5th) by calling on the Queensland Palaszczuk government and Commonwealth Environment Minister Greg Hunt to protect the endangered buff-breasted button-quail from likely extinction in far north Queensland.
In January this year, the former LNP government approved the clearing of over 30,000 hectares of prime buff-breasted button-quail habitat at Olive Vale Station on Cape York, despite the species being listed as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
“While the buff-breasted button-quail’s habitat is being crushed by a pair of huge D-11 bulldozers the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments have failed to intervene,” said ACF’s Andrew Picone.
“In a critical failure of process, no consideration was given to the nationally endangered buff-breasted button-quail in one of the largest land-clearing controversies in over a decade.
“With up to 500 hectares already cleared, this bird is literally being pushed towards extinction as we speak.
“The fate of the buff-breasted button-quail and the destruction of its habitat is yet another example of the former government’s duplicity in managing matters of national environmental significance.
“Signing off on the destruction of 30,000 hectares without due regard for Commonwealth laws is a betrayal of the public interest nothing short of reckless vandalism.
“It may be World Environment Day, but let’s remember there are 130,000 hectares of native bushland approved for clearing.
“We welcome the Palaszczuk Government’s withdrawal of the discredited one-stop-shop approval process but call on the Premier to set a different course from her predecessor, declare a moratorium on clearing and repair this broken system,” Mr Picone said.
