5th of September 2024, 9:32pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Western Metro MP David Ettershank says he is elated that the multinational freight company Pacific National has decided against building a $5 billion freight terminal that would have devastated native grasslands and rare animals on the edge of Melbourne.
The Legalise Cannabis MP worked closely with the community of the nearby town of Little River to oppose the hub, which would have brought up to 1500 trucks into the area every day.
Little River banned
Mr Ettershank joined hundreds from the town of Little River on Saturday, August 24 to demonstrate against the freight terminal.
“That hub which would have wiped out 75 football fields of rare volcanic plain grassland and risked contaminating a river system feeding into Ramsar wetlands. This is a win for the environment and a victory for commonsense,” Mr Ettershank said.
“Residents have photographed the endangered Growling Grass Frog in Little River, and critically endangered Golden Sun Moths on neighbouring land. Fat-tailed Dunnarts also live nearby.
“Building a monster freight hub that would have operated 24/7 would have been a death knell for these creatures.”
Allan government must act to protect Green Wedges
Mr Ettershank is calling on the Allan Government to do more to secure Melbourne’s 12 green wedge zones, set aside by government in the 1970s as a buffer between Melbourne and regional Victoria to clean the air and shield farms from city contaminants.
“We call on the Victorian government to meet the challenge of acquiring, rehabilitating and preserving sites, including the Little River Precinct into the Greater Western Grasslands Reserve,” he said.
“The state Government committed to establishing a 15,000h Western Grassland Reserve under the Melbourne Strategic Assessment (Environment Protection Mitigation Levy) Act 2020, and this was endorsed by the Commonwealth.
“The state government is falling well short of the 15,000h target, but the Little River site would be a wonderful addition to the Western Grassland Reserve.”
Mr Ettershank congratulated the township of Little River in banding together.
“This is a tangible sign of what can be achieved when communities join together to protect the environment and their town or neighbourhood,” he said.
Little River Action Group President Adrian Hamilton said he was delighted that Pacific National was withdrawing an application for planning and environmental approvals with state government agencies.
“We still maintain that this site is completely inappropriate as a freight terminal site for a variety of reasons,” Mr Hamilton said.
“The site has a rich ecosystem that is worth protecting. It must remain a Green Wedge and it abuts our small peaceful town.
“It would have been a tragedy for Victoria to lose more stands of remnant native vegetation. Natural Temperate Grasslands are under serious threat. While they once covered much of the state only one per cent of these grasslands now remain.”
In a statement to The Age Pacific National said it made the decision “given the changed timeline for associated freight and infrastructure projects and broader economic factors”.
Pacific National confirmed that “the business will continue to assess alternative terminal site options as they emerge to support efficient freight transport connectivity”.
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