The PAGE May Newsletter (pdf copy below) is devoted entirely to Powerrlink’s intention to seek Ministerial designation, as well as the final step – that is, the Resumption of your land.

Deadline: 9 June 2010

The most pertinent issue for you to remember is that you have to get your CID Submission into Powerlink by 5pm, Wednesday 9 June.

The PAGE newsletter provides you all the information you require (and more) to help you prepare your own submission. There are also 2 word documents of Sample Submissions and Sample Issue Topics.

PAGE Newsletter – May 2010

Residents Submission-1 Example

Residents submission-2 – Topics

Don’t leave it too late. Don’t think it’s all over. You can make a difference.

It is imperative that all PAGE members and interested community members attend this meeting, showing support for the alternatives and sending a message to the State Government that this is a community ready to be counted and saying loud and clear that a new approach to energy is demanded on the Sunshine Coast.

The meeting agenda

• PAGE’s recent meetings with Minister for Mines and Energy & the opposition leader Mr. L. Springborg
• PAGE sponsored energy planning meeting with Energex, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Sanctuary Energy and other energy professionals
• The personal health aspects with Ms. Sue Agnew
• Alternative proposal by Sanctuary Energy Chief Operating Officer Mr. Alex Braisier
• Official AGM business including the coordinator’s report, treasurer’s report & the election of office bearers
• Questions & Answers
• Raffle draw – Meeting close

After the meeting we will be holding a BBQ to provide some eats, with tea and coffee. Get to talk in more detail to the guests, committee members and other affected residents. A large number of people are expected to attend this meeting and it is suggested that you arrive early so that the meeting can start on time. Please note there are no child minding facilities at this venue.
Meeting with Minister Wilson
On the 23rd of August, representatives of PAGE met with the Minister Mr Geoff Wilson, after 5 months of waiting. Mr. Wilson and five of his staff were present. Our focus was on the opportunity for sustainable energy to be given higher priority. Mr. Wilson agreed that he would seriously look at any commercially viable alternative. This is in progress, with Sanctuary Energy keen to help the community move a green energy solution forward, here on the Coast. Shortly, as the initial position paper is completed, we will be requesting another meeting with the Minister in support of the alternatives.

Also clearly pointed out was our dismay and dissatisfaction with the totally deficient and one-sided Powerlink “consultation” process.
Meeting with Lawrence Springborg, Leader of the Opposition
PAGE recently met with Lawrence Springborg, Jeff Seeney and David Gibson of the LNP to discuss and seek support from the LNP for the alternatives to the State Government’s proposal. The LNP were supportive of the proposals put forward by PAGE.

Mr. Gibson said “The LNP’s vision is to make Queensland the renewable energy Capital of Australia and we look forward to receiving further information from PAGE,” Mr Springborg said “the project being put forward by PAGE underlined the Sunshine Coast community’s interest in being part of the solution to the carbon/energy challenges facing Australia and indeed the world. Queensland is blessed with enormous opportunities for developing a world-leading renewable energy industry. What’s lacking at moment is a State government that’s prepared to do more than launch small-scale pilot projects for solar,” Mr Gibson added that “the LNP was very pleased to hear from the PAGE Group and to discuss its innovative concept for solar thermal power on the Sunshine Coast.”

PAGE raised the issue of the inadequate community consultation and suggested changes be made to the consultation processes employed. Mr. Springborg agreed that the “consultation process was a sham.”

PAGE Activities
PAGE has conducted many lobby meetings with community representatives including Mr. David Gibson, State MP for Gympie, Mr. Peter Wellington, State MP for Nicklin, Cllrs. Vivien Griffin, Keryn Jones & Lew Brennan, Federal Senator Claire Moore and others.

PAGE facilitated an energy planning meeting in September between SCRC Councillors & staff, Energex, Sanctuary Energy, PAGE, the EPA and other interested energy professionals. The purpose was to determine the energy requirements of the Sunshine Coast and acceptable “bankable” solutions, with Sanctuary Energy moving forward with a position paper for a solar thermal plant and demand reduction measures here on the Sunshine Coast. This has the potential to provide clean energy, local jobs and a secure energy supply.
PAGE organised and participated in the GET-UP! climate change torch relay with the help of the local community and Noosa District State High School students.

PAGE has created significant local media coverage, which can be viewed at the comprehensive website www.saveeumundi.org and is continuing to deliver high quality information via this medium.
PAGE is available to meet with landholders to discuss their issues and have conducted several on site meetings when landowners have been requested to meet with Powerlink. We are here to support the community and welcome feedback and information from affected community members.
We have been holding a series of fund raising and community awareness days in Cooroy, Noosa, Belli Park and other locations talking to community members, completing petitions, making presentations and gathering support from groups such as the Noosa Parks Association and the Noosa Residents and

Ratepayers Association.
PAGE has joined the Sunshine Coast Environment Council (SCEC) and attended a meeting between SCEC and Parsons Brinkerhoff (Powerlink’s paid environmental consultants). We
provided SCEC with our on the ground knowledge of the EIS and the poor consultation process undertaken to date. At the meeting PB reluctantly admitted that they had located some EPBC listed species and that they would be referring the project to the Federal Government. They refused, however to reveal what they had found or where they had found it!

At the time of writing, we note that the draft EIS is still yet to be released, 6 months after the original scheduled date. It is expected that this document, like last year’s terms of reference will be released for comment over the Christmas and school holiday period. A time of year designed to make it difficult for adequate community input to a document that is expected to be in excess of 500 pages.

Show your support for PAGE and help increase public awareness of our campaign by participating in the Christmas in Cooroy street parade on 6th Dec, 4:00pm. PAGE is entering a float and we require as many people as possible to walk alongside the float to demonstrate to the community the wide public support for our cause. Let’s display a united front and community spirit at this festive Christmas celebration!

Fundraising, donations and thanks
PAGE will continue to conduct fund raising activities in the coming months, including raffles, sausage sizzles and more. Your support for these activities is needed, to ensure that we can continue to effectively represent your concerns to the State Government and PL / PB.

We would like to thank all of our willing volunteers & supporters who put in lots of time and effort at fundraising events, meetings, researching, writing and reporting from and on behalf of PAGE and the community – please think about what you can do to assist in the campaign to save the place you live.
We also greatly appreciate the support of our local representatives at state and local government level, Peter Wellington, Dave Gibson, Vivien Griffin, Keryn Jones, Paul Tatton & Lew Brennan.

A big thank you to all of the people and organisations who have donated funds, prizes and supplies in helping to make the campaign as successful as it has been to date.

What you can do
It takes enormous effort and dedication to make a campaign like this happen and PAGE needs your help. You can help by:

• If you do nothing else get to the next meeting on 29/11/08
• Volunteering at a sausage sizzle or fund raising event – contact Evelyn 5442 8990
• Read and make a submission on the draft EIS
• Join PAGE / Make a donation
• Write / email Anna Bligh and her Ministers
• Write to the local papers / call local radio to have your voice heard in this election year
• Participate by walking alongside the PAGE float at the Christmas in Cooroy Parade on 6th Dec

Contact:
Graham Smith, Coordinator
Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (PAGE)
Web: www.saveeumundi.org Email: contact@saveeumundi.org
Phone: 07 5447 0086 Mobile: 0415 621 060
Mail: PO Box 950, Cooroy, Q 4563

Next PAGE Meeting: 4pm, Saturday 26 July 2008 at the CWA Hall, Memorial Drive in Eumundi

We welcome all landholders and interested parties to this meeting. We will be discussing:

• PAGE’s recent meeting with Powerlink/ Parsons Brinckerhoff (PL/PB)
• Update of activities since the last meeting
• Logging activity in the area of the current easement
• The bigger picture – Sunshine Coast Regional Council
• Campaigning and people – Traveston Dam representative

If you’d like to know more about Powerlink’s approach to consultation this is one you shouldn’t miss? A large number of people are expected to attend this meeting and it is suggested that you arrive early so that the meeting can start on time. Light refreshments will be served after the meeting. Please note there are no child minding facilities at this venue.

Powerlink’s “Consultation” Process
Representatives of PAGE met with Powerlink before the Minister would agree to meet with us to discuss the communities concerns over this unsustainable project. The meeting was held on 14 July and PAGE achieved the goal of Powerlink agreeing that there are concerns that only the Minister can answer. These relate to the confused and contradictory policy messages coming from Government, Powerlink’s “consultation” approach, attitude to this community, lack of information and the Ministers disappointing response to community concerns. Minister Wilson, has finally after 5 months agreed to meet with PAGE. In addition a detailed analysis of the PL/PB submission response has been completed and is available on the website. It was also made crystal clear to PL/PB that the community does not want this infrastructure, considers it ill conceived and takes great exception to PL/PB’s attitude to the community as demonstrated by the PL CEO and their continuing refusal to provide information to the community.

The Recent Logging Activity
State Government recently moved into Cooroy West State Forest adjacent to Top Forestry Road and the existing Powerlink corridor and commenced logging, with little consultation with the local community – does that sound familiar? There are endangered species and critical koala habitat in the area designated for logging, that are important for the environmental impact study for the PL/PB project, that are in danger of being adversely impacted. Thanks to swift and dedicated action by the community, Peter Wellington was alerted to the issue and at a meeting with Premier Bligh, succeeded in obtaining a temporary halt to the logging, pending more investigation – watch this space and the media for more updates.

PL / PB on Your Property
Powerlink’s paid consultant’s Parsons Brinckerhoff have been carrying out limited environmental surveys over the past two months. PAGE recommends that landowners contact Powerlink and request information regarding the work carried out. This should include:

• Date/time of notification
• Person who contacted you. PB or PL
• Date/time of entry
• Personal entering property. Names if wish
• Entry point
• Ask about both Powerlink and PB accessing your property
• What did they do on your property?
• Did they take or leave things on property.

This will enable you to determine if Powerlink / PB have followed the notice protocols and stayed within the area of concern. If there have been any breeches of the notice requirements please contact PAGE with the details, for future use.

Write to Premier Bligh
”I always look forward to hearing from Queenslanders about how we can make our great state even better. I welcome your ideas and suggestions and encourage you to let my Government know about any concerns or questions you have and about the issues that matter to you.” Anna Bligh MP Premier of Queensland.
Email the Premier: ThePremier@premiers.qld.gov.au OR Write to the Premier: PO Box 15185 City East Queensland 4002
PAGE encourages everyone to do as the Premier has asked. Provide your name, email address (essential for a reply) and, if applicable, your organisation and your position. State the topic you’re writing about (for example, ‘climate change’, ‘environment’, ‘transmission lines & sub-stations’, or any other topic that affects you) in the subject of your email. If you’re giving general feedback, you can use this as your subject heading. If you would like a response by letter, also include your postal address. The media and your politicians want to hear from us, so now is the time to express ourselves, our feelings, our thoughts and our suggestions. If you need some help with writing letters, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Visit the PAGE website and find a comprehensive list of other contacts you can write to.

Reports on PAGE activities and successes
We are informed that the draft EIS has been likely delayed until October 2008. The Sunshine Coast Regional Council has officially appointed Raul Weychardt as the officer responsible for completing Council’s EIS submission. PAGE will be liaising with Raul in the coming months to ensure that the communities concerns are clearly represented. Media has been consistently supportive, with a large number of articles, letters and editorial pieces appearing over the last two months in local media. Check out the media section of the website for full details and keep those letters going to politicians and the media.

Fundraising, donations and thanks
Thank you to all of our very generous donors, PAGE will be conducting fund raising activities in the coming months, including raffles, sausage sizzles and more. Please support these activities to ensure that we can continue to effectively represent your concerns to the State Government and PL / PB. Thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly on your behalf – please think about what you can do to assist in the campaign to save the place you live. Thanks also to Peter Wellington, who has shown great passion and continuing empathy with the community in this fight to have our concerns heard by State Government.

Eerwah Vale and Ridgewood Wildlife Corridor – fauna and flora watch
Recently Annette House sent out an invitation to all of us in this area to look closely at the fauna and flora in this area. So far she has received some impressive responses. If you see anything that is rare or unusual let us know as soon as you can. We live in a unique area where many rare and endangered species live. This is an amazing wildlife corridor and world renowned scientists are acknowledging this as more sightings are being made. Annette has been busy with the Richmond Birdwing butterfly, the vines that they need to survive and the resident population of possum gliders. For more information see the website for a full description and write-up.

Contact:
Graham Smith, Coordinator
Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (PAGE)
Web: www.saveeumundi.org
Email: contact@saveeumundi.org
Phone: 07 5447 0086 Mobile: 0415 621 060
Mail: PO Box 950, Cooroy, Q 4563

The Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (P.A.G.E.) strategy to Powerlink’s long term threat to the Sunshine Coast, is to engage with the State Government and its agencies to provide a community endorsed plan for more sustainable, environmentally and visually acceptable alternatives.

Recent PAGE Public Community Meeting

PAGE held its 4th community meeting on the 29 March. PAGE would like to thank all those who attended and
helped with the preparation. In attendance were nearly 70 community members including David Gibson, Member for Gympie. Shadow Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation, Sunshine Coast Regional Councillors Vivienne Griffin and Paul Tatton plus media representatives WIN News and Eumundi Green community newspaper.

Next PAGE Meeting:

4pm, Saturday 17 May 2008 at the CWA Hall, Memorial Drive in Eumundi

We welcome all landholders and interested parties to this meeting. We will be discussing:
• the final Terms of Reference (ToR) – assuming they have been released,
• Powerlink to provide feedback on the PAGE ToR submission,(no response at the time of publication).
• the impact of the continuation of the line to Palmwoods and beyond,
• the impacts on real estate values. A guest Real Estate Agent will discuss devaluations.
• Jim Cooney, guest speaker, will talk about living with the existing Powerlink easement.

If you’d like to know more about life with Powerlink this is one you shouldn’t miss? A large number of people are expected to attend this meeting and it is suggested that you arrive early so that the meeting can start on time.

Light refreshments will be served after the meeting. Please note there are no child minding facilities at this venue.

Powerlink’s Terms of Reference Feedback

Powerlink have refused PAGE’s counter offer of a feedback meeting with the PAGE membership saying that “it could get out of hand” and raising concerns over Powerlink staff’s personal safety. When asked to substantiate the alleged instances causing this security perception, Powerlink declined to substantiate their comments. PAGE has subsequently invited Powerlink to attend the next public meeting where PAGE has agreed to organise the local police to allay Powerlink’s unsubstantiated concerns, however Powerlink had not responded by the requested date.

Powerlink are in effect refusing to meet with the community members most impacted by this proposal. As at the date of the Newsletter, PAGE and the community are still waiting for the final ToR and written feedback on the Terms of Reference.

Powerlink’s Property Access Request

PAGE recommends that landholders ensure that they are happy with the access provisions, especially regarding the period of access notice required to be provided by Powerlink, the weed hygiene requirements for your particular circumstances and the legal implications for landholders when Powerlink or their agents are carrying out their work on your property. Do not feel unduly pressured into signing a document that you are either not comfortable with from a legal perspective or that you do not understand. Talk to your legal advisor, and your neighbours, who are facing the same issues and see what they have agreed or are still discussing with Powerlink.

Public Letter Writing Campaign

Significant exposure to Powerlink’s intrusion has been raised by the many community letters sent to the
newspapers. Remember your say counts! David Gibson has suggested that every PAGE member also write to his office with their concerns about the proposed transmission lines. His contact details are: PO Box 1277 Gympie QLD, 4570, or email gympie@parliament.qld.gov.au.
Many of the local papers and magazines have invited us to write more letters and comments for publication.

The more letters published, the more media interest there will be. Writing letters to the media and your politicians helps to put pressure on Powerlink and assists the State Government to see the significant level of community concern over this project. It will also encourage Powerlink to look at acceptable alternatives rather than the ‘unsustainable’ proposal being imposing on us now.

The media and your politicians want to hear from us, so now is the time to express ourselves, our feelings, our thoughts and our suggestions. If you need some help with writing letters, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
• A compilation of media and newspaper articles can now be viewed on the PAGE website
• Visit the PAGE website and find a comprehensive list of contacts you can write to
(www.saveeumundi.org/contact.htm).

Reports on PAGE activities

Thank you to all those who have been hosting the weekly PAGE meetings. A good number of PAGE members and supporters have been busy working behind the scenes. Regular committee meetings ensure integrity and strength within the organisation. If you would like to come to a PAGE committee meeting write to contact@saveeumundi.org and information on venues and dates will be provided.

Fundraising & donations

Thank you to all of our very generous donors, Do you have something to donate? A few hours of your time a
week, legal input, stationary supplies, all donations are welcome .Everyone likes a raffle. Especially when great items are on offer. At the moment there are a few impressive raffles on the go. Tickets will be available at the next public meeting. Can you donate a prize of interest? Please email us.

Eerwah Vale and Ridgewood Wildlife Corridor – fauna and flora watch

Annette House has been focusing on the Environmental aspects of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
and Terms of Reference (ToR) for several months. Recently Annette sent out an invitation to all of us in this area to look closely at the fauna and flora in this area. So far she has received some impressive responses. We live in a unique area where many rare and endangered species live. This is an amazing wildlife corridor and world renowned scientists are acknowledging this as more sightings are being made. They are keenly following up on reported sightings.

Koala Foundation

Don’t forget the important meeting with the CEO of the Koala Foundation on the 15th May at 2.30pm. All are
welcome. Email us at contact@saveeumundi.org for venue details.

Contact

Graham Smith, Coordinator
Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (PAGE)
Web: www.saveeumundi.org
Email: contact@saveeumundi.org
Phone: 07 5447 0086
Mobile: 0415 621 060
Mail: PO Box 950, Cooroy, Q 4563

PAGE has completed and sent its draft terms of reference submission to PB. Thank you to all who contributed to it. Thank you also to those who sent in their own submissions and who shared them with us, to make sure we were being as thorough as possible in the PAGE submission. You can read the PAGE submission on the website at the following address:

http://www.saveeumundi.org/downloadfiles/PAGE-Submission-DraftToR.pdf

Powerlink’s Property Access Request

You may have received a letter from Powerlink requesting you to sign a Permission To Enter form so the company can undertake preliminary research on your land in regard to its Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed power lines corridor. This is a very unclear document, which PAGE is having reviewed by a solicitor to determine whether the request is legal and reasonable.

PAGE sees Powerlink’s attempt to access land at any time in the next 18 months as excessive. Indeed, it is before the Terms of Reference have been finalised, it does not state a notice period for visits, weed control measures, impacts on livestock times of day for visits and many other matters.

Please do not feel that you have to sign this document by the date (08 February 2008) that Powerlink has indicated. It is simply their wish that this information is sent back by this date, but you have the right to be sure about your position before you sign. As soon as PAGE has received advice on this issue, we will pass this on to you via email.

If you have received a Permission To Enter form and have particular circumstances that are of concern to you, you must consider obtaining your own legal advice. PAGE can not accept responsibility for any actions undertaken by a party that relies on the advice we receive and pass on in good faith.

Powerlink’s CEO Letter to the Minister

Powerlink’s CEO, Gordon Jardine, has written to the Minister for Mines & Energy in an attempt to discredit PAGE and to trivialise and dismiss the community’s concerns over the company’s power line project. We are actively engaging with a range of Local and State politicians on this issue, to seek their support in our attempts to have alternatives to the project considered.

The New Alignment

Powerlink are talking to some landholders regarding what they term “a refinement of the alignment”. At the moment a definitive version of the changes in the line has not been confirmed by Powerlink, but we will advise as soon as we know.

Personal Stories

Everyone affected by the corridor has a story to tell. We want to know your story.

Please write to us, telling us what impact the corridor will have on you and your family (or your business), what your concerns are, and why. Don’t make it too long! Try for about a page of typing – or less if you have less to say, and perhaps slightly longer if you’ve got more. We will then help you turn that into a Letter to the Editor for a newspaper, letter to the Minister and/or a short article for the local press. The more people, and especially politicians, who know about how many people are being negatively impacted by Powerlink’s power line corridor and exactly how – the more we can put a human face on the pain that Powerlink is causing – the more pressure we can exert to stop the project in its current form.

Events Manager

Powerlink is a multi-million dollar company who routinely mows over the wishes and concerns of small communities, because they are just not equipped to adequately fight back. We need to employ professionals to comment on the Environmental Impact Statement when it is released, or we risk being ignored and going the same way as so many other small communities.

Eumundi Markets have offered PAGE a venue for fund raising events. We have an excellent guest speaker who is prepared to donate his time. What we first need now, however, is someone who is experienced in Events Management. Can you, or someone you know, offer this expertise?

Contact

Graham Smith, Coordinator
Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (PAGE)
Email: contact@saveeumundi.org

Thank you to all who attended the PAGE community meeting on 5 January 2008, where our response to
Powerlink’s draft Terms of Reference (ToR) was outlined. Close to 100 people attended, together with
Maroochy Mayor Joe Natoli, Maroochy Shire Councillor Greg Rogerson, Noosa Shire Councillors Brian Linfield
and Raymond Kelly, and Sunshine Coast Regional Council Candidate Vivien Griffith. WIN Television and Eumundi Green, a local community newspaper, covered the event.

The next PAGE meeting will be held on Saturday 19 January, again at the Wyoming Hall (94 Kenilworth Road) at 4pm. Elections for PAGE Office Bearers (Coordinator, Secretary and Treasurer) will be held and a final update on PAGE’s ToR submission presented.

Petition

The deadline for the submission of PAGE’s petition to the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland is 25 January 2008. To allow us time to collate and send the petition by the due date, please
return your petition sheets to PAGE at the 19 January meeting.

Terms of Reference

The deadline for submissions was 11 January, unless you requested and received an extension from Powerlink. PAGE received an extension and its submission is due 25 January. If you did not make your submission by the deadline or if you have additional issues you wish to raise contact PAGE by 20 January and it may be possible to include your points in PAGE’s submission.

Local Government Support

During the week ending 13 January PAGE had discussions with Maroochy Mayor Joe Natoli, a number of
Maroochy Shire Council officers and Noosa Councillor Ray Kelly. All pledged their support to PAGE and provided useful information to assist in our fight. We will also meet with David Gibson, State MP for Gympie and Noosa Councillor Brian Lindfield to discuss the issue and how they can assist.

As a result of our discussions to date, Noosa and Maroochy Council each now understands the scale of
Powerlink’s plans, the strength of community feeling against those plans, and each Council is putting greater effort into their Terms of Reference submissions to Powerlink.

Assistance in Obtaining Information

If you are also having any problems obtaining information from Powerlink or Parsons Brinckerhoff – no
response, unsatisfactory response, a refusal to provide information or a delay in replying to your question – let PAGE know the details and we will raise this issue with Powerlink and Parsons Brinckerhoff on your behalf.

PAGE Membership

On our database we have 146 community members and last Saturday’s meeting raised just under $1,500 for
our fund; $300 of which was through donations. Will you consider joining and becoming an official Member of PAGE? The nominal fee of $20 from each Member goes entirely to keeping the campaign running.

Public Letter Writing Campaign

Don’t forget about writing to our politicians – have you written letters to State Government Ministers? The
Minister for Mines & Energy should be receiving correspondence from all of us, but the Minister for
Infrastructure & Planning, the Minister for Tourism, Regional Development & Industry and the Minister for
Sustainability, Climate Change & Innovation are all important people in this process and should be made aware of the community’s opposition to Powerlink’s plans.

Please don’t be complacent about this. It is urgent and essential that the community engages with the decisionmakers – the politicians who oversee Powerlink and can pressure it to change its plans. If the politicians don’t know how much we care about this issue, they won’t know that they need to represent us on it.

Please remember to let PAGE know when you have written letters and what responses you have received back. It’s just as important to let PAGE know if your questions and concerns are ignored by your elected
representatives. Make sure you ask specific questions and also ask for a specific date by which you will receive a full answer.

Wildlife Update

Dr Scott Burnett, well known wildlife expert, recently visited Belli to meet with PAGE regarding quoll remains and sightings in the area. Quolls are native to Australia and are listed as a vulnerable species in Queensland. Dr Burnett reported that from his initial observations of the local environment it is highly likely that quolls live in the area. He intends to return with research equipment, including cameras, to record their range and activities.

Have a look at the photos included with this newsletter – have you seen quolls, powerful owls or giant barred
frogs on or near your property? If so, this is an exciting development. Not only is it a strong indication of how pristine our environment is, that we have these animals living and breeding here, it is also very important for us to identify vulnerable and endangered species that may be impacted by Powerlink’s plans.
Please contact PAGE urgently if you have seen quolls, powerful owls or giant barred frogs on or near your
property, and we will arrange to have Dr Burnett help verify your sightings.

Some other animals you may have seen:
Northern Quoll Powerful Owl Northern Quoll Giant Barred Frog

Contact

Graham Smith, Coordinator
Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (PAGE)
Email: contact@saveeumundi.org
Phone: 07 5447 0086
Mobile: 0415 621 060
Mail: PO Box 950, Cooroy, Q 4563

Powerlink is planning on building infrastructure that will supply at least 500% more power to the Northern Sunshine Coast. To date they have not been willing to provide the detailed energy forecasts and assumptions to justify this massive increase in power supply. Powerlink appears to be ‘future proofing’ itself – that is, it is moving to quickly build far more infrastructure than is required before the new Federal Government’s policy catches up with it, and it is obliged to become part of the climate change solution rather than perpetuating the problem by an estimated increase of 75% more greenhouse gases from electricity by 2020.

The Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (P.A.G.E.) strategy to this long term threat to the Sunshine Coast is to engage with the State Government and its agencies to provide a community endorsed plan for more sustainable and visually acceptable alternatives. This will also need to meet the short-term constraints faced by the electricity network – rather than a Powerlink imposed solution, that ignores the wishes of the community. The areas P.A.G.E. has been reviewing, include alternative routes for the transmission lines, renewable energy, energy demand management, and undergrounding of the lines.

Even if you have a “don’t care” neighbour – they won’t see the power lines directly from their homes so they don’t care – invite them to think about the devaluation of their land. In the past, people have lost as much as 75% of the value of their homes due to unsympathetic power line infrastructure being constructed in their region. We asked Ken Guy, Founder of Ken Guy Real Estate and he said this “If you live anywhere in the vicinity of this valley, the proposed powerlines through the Eumundi Kenilworth Road region will reduce your land value even if you can’t see the actual pylons. You land value is naturally taken from the surrounding properties selling price. When that drops considerably (and it will), so will yours.” Powerlink says it’s cheaper for it to plough through the countryside in the straightest possible line, and that is more important than the devastating impact this has on land owners. How many of us can afford that type of loss? Talk to your “don’t care” neighbours about how they currently enjoy the beauty of the Hinterland when they drive along the Eumundi-Kenilworth Road or the Eumundi-Noosa Road, and how they might feel about instead driving through an ugly industrial landscape.

Terms of Reference

Powerlink has now released its Terms of Reference for its proposed power line corridor. That document can be found on the company’s website:

http://www.powerlink.com.au/data/portal/00005056/content/58495001196312844726.pdf

Responding to draft Terms of Reference is not difficult. You simply need to look through the document, and think about whether it includes all the issues you want to be addressed. You don’t need to write a lot, you need only note the specific issues you would like included. If you can’t think of any area that you feel confident writing about, consider point 4.19 – lifestyle issues. Did you come to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland to live in an area of outstanding natural beauty and don’t want it turned into an ugly industrial landscape?
Then you might have something to say.

Written comments on the draft Terms of Reference must be received before 5pm on Friday, 11 January 2008 to:
Meredith Woodland
Project Manager
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Reply Paid 2907
Brisbane Qld 4001
Email: aubnewooloogatocooroy@pb.com.au

PAGE is preparing its own response to the draft Terms of Reference and later the Environmental Impact Statement, and urgently needs assistance from anyone who has expertise (or knows anyone with expertise) in the following areas:

- Health – specifically the impact of Electro-magnetic Fields;
- Town Planning;
- Law – especially environmental law but astute lawyers are needed to consider a range of issues;
- Energy policy, including sustainable energy solutions;
- Journalism;
- Fund raising;
- Technical writing – particularly if you have experience in responding to Environmental Impact Statements;
- Engineering.

If you have any other type of expertise that you think might be of benefit, will you give a small amount of your time to help PAGE save the Sunshine Coast Hinterland from the imposition of massively unsympathetic infrastructure development?

Future Public Meeting

PAGE will host another public meeting on Saturday, 5 January 2008, ahead of Powerlink’s 11 January deadline for submissions on the draft Terms of Reference. The meeting will be at 4pm at Wyoming, on the Eumundi-Kenilworth Road (about one minute from the Eumundi overpass, on the right hand side of the road as you drive towards Kenilworth – a map is attached). There is plenty of parking available. Community members will be informed of PAGE’s planned submission on the draft Terms of Reference and invited to suggest items for inclusion. In addition, if you would like assistance in preparing your own submission for the draft Terms of Reference there will be plenty of like-minded people in attendance for you to talk with. During this meeting you will be able to join PAGE if you have not already, and PAGE members will be able to nominate themselves or vote for individuals for PAGE Committee positions (President, Secretary and Treasurer).

Public Letter Writing Campaign

Have you written letters to State Government Ministers and your Local Government Councillor? Please don’t be complacent about this. It is vitally important that the community engages with the decision-makers – the politicians who oversee Powerlink and can pressure it to change its plans. If they don’t know how much we care about this issue, they won’t know that they need to represent us on it.

The Federal Government has signed the Kyoto Protocol in the last two weeks, is committed to reducing carbon emissions and introducing a 20% mandatory renewable energy target by 2020. Powerlink state it is the company’s intention to build an “electricity highway” in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, which is clearly out of step with the community, recent State Government announcements and the Federal Government Both the Federal and State Governments need to be told about this! Your letters will definitely help bring Powerlink’s activities to their attention.
Don’t forget, you can access PAGE’s Tips for Writing to Politicians on our website (www.saveeumundi.org). In addition to writing to Queensland Government Ministers, remember that our new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, is a Sunshine Coast local. So is our new Treasurer and Spokesman for Climate Change in the House of Representatives, Wayne Swann. There is also a new Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Penny Wong, and of course Peter Garrett has been appointed Federal Environment Minister. If Queensland Government Ministers don’t know about the damage to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland environment, perhaps we can get their Federal counterparts to apply some pressure to them to constructively consider the alternative solutions to the problem.

Please remember to let PAGE know when you have written letters and what responses you have received back. It’s just as important to let PAGE know if your questions and concerns are ignored by your elected representatives. Make sure you ask specific questions and also ask for a specific date by which you will receive a full answer.

Membership

The membership fee has been set at the low rate of $20 so we do not exclude any community member who wishes to join PAGE. Those who can afford more are very welcome to make donations. Expert analysis will be required once Powerlink releases its Environmental Impact Statement, and this type of professional assessment costs a lot of money. PAGE is a small community group of everyday people, fighting to prevent billion dollar corporations from making their profit out of ruining the beauty of our homes, and to force them to recognise and respond to concerns about climate change that are being expressed around the planet.

To join PAGE, you can visit our stall at Eumundi Markets (amphitheatre end) to sign up. Alternately, you can join when you come to the public meeting on 5 January.

Website

A website is being developed and an interim page can now be found at http://www.saveeumundi.org. Feel free to add this to your favourites and even make it your email signature. This and future Newletters will be available to view and download, together with information about Powerlink’s plans and information to help you write to politicians to help get the project in its current form stopped.

Eumundi Markets

PAGE has a stall at Eumundi markets every Saturday. At the stall you can view the wall-length photo of Eerwah Vale with power pylons that so shocked everyone at the last public meeting. A petition will also be available for signature, new members can join and donations will be gratefully received to help fund PAGE’s analysis of Powerlink’s Environmental Impact Statement when it is released. If you can volunteer to man the stall for an hour or two please call Margaret on 07 5442-8777.

Petition

A community member has registered a petition which will be submitted to the Queensland Legislative Assembly in February 2008. To help make the community’s wishes clear, it would be very helpful if everyone could print copies of the petition page and ask family, friends, acquaintances and workmates to sign their name. This will be available on the website early in the New Year. You can return them to the Eumundi stall or to the address noted below.

Thanks for reading this newsletter. If you can think of anyone else that would might be interested in reading it, feel free to forward to them.

Contact

Graham Smith, Co-ordinator, Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (PAGE), Email: contact@saveeumundi.org
Phone: 07 5447 0086 Mobile: 0415 621 060, Mail: PO Box 950, Cooroy, Q 4563