Write to the Government

To Peter Garrett MP,

My names Elyse and I am 12 years old. Recently I wrote to you about my effort to save the bay protest swim in which 70 people mostly children swam 1.2 km to show how much they loved the bay. I just thought you would like to know that we have a unique species of dolphins in our bay. We only have 100 hundred of them and if five females die off, this species will be extinct. By dredging the bay this will effect their breeding grounds and feeding grounds.

Thanks Elyse(Bay lover)

Dear Minister,

Save Port Phillip Bay

You have made a grave error in approving the Port Phillip Bay Channel deepening proposal and have committed the Bay to much damage. You do not have enough information to have made a proper decision and the health of the Bay and all who rely on it will suffer as a consequence.

Your Media Release of 20th December relies on promotional material from the Port of Melbourne Corporation rather than facts. I believed you would protect the environment, not be swayed by “developer’s marketing”. You say you will safeguard the "Western Port Ramsar site". You have confused Western Port and Port Phillip Bay. Western Port is a separate, unique and different ecosystem, in a completely different location.

Here are some facts about Port Phillip Bay and channel deepening:

• Over 100 species of sponges at The Heads occur nowhere else on earth and could be lost FOREVER if this project proceeds. Unique and beautiful sponges, corals and seagrasses would be ripped out and remaining colonies smothered. Benthic organisms responsible for maintaining the Nitrogen balance in the Bay would be smothered, increasing risks of toxic algal blooms.
• Penguins, dolphins, seals, sharks, whales and thousands of marine plant and animal species interactively rely on Port Phillip Bay for habitat. This delicate balance IS under threat.
• Wetlands and coastline are at greater risk from the interaction of global warming and project related sea-level rise. You have not adequately considered this.
• You claim 80,000 jobs rely on the Port. This was proven wrong during the 2004 EES Panel Hearing. The 2007 SEES claims 13,748 jobs rely on the Port. There is NO evidence that ANY of these jobs are threatened. PriceWaterhouse Coopers 2007 study of the Port predicts that trade will quadruple by 2035 regardless of whether channel deepening occurs. There should be plenty MORE jobs, not less!
• Industrial contaminants and toxicants trapped in Yarra silt would be released into the water and then dumped in the Bay. Heavy metals such as Cadmium, Mercury, Zinc, Lead and Arsenic and Ammonia would re-enter the food chain. PoMC did not provide adequate data on toxicant risk. Risks to HUMAN HEALTH from swimming and consuming fish from the Bay have been underestimated and you have not considered this.
• Many thousands of jobs in tourism, fishing and diving and their support industries ARE threatened by this sustained assault on the health of the Bay. Recreational fishing in Port Phillip Bay contributes approximately $1 billion per annum to our economy. That's over 10 times what the PoMC hopes channel deepening would contribute to the economy annually! PoMC admits that fish stocks will be affected for a number of years so this WILL impact on jobs in recreational and commercial fishing, diving and eco-tourism sectors. Bay related tourism provides around $1 billion benefits per annum in a growing and sustainable industry - and that's just the Mornington Peninsula! You have just approved an outright assault on all sustainable recreational and commercial diving, fishing and Bay wide tourism.
• PoMC data on future deep draught ship arrivals needs proper analysis. In approving this complex and risky project you have relied on the PoMC marketing material instead of independent research into future trends in shipping.
• PoMC says channel deepening would provide approximately $1.9 billion benefits by 2035. That’s its BEST estimate and that’s ONLY around $70 million per annum! That’s similar to the annual value of JUST the Dive Industry in Port Phillip Bay. Benefits that channel deepening MIGHT provide over 27 years are substantially less than our current sustainable Bay related industries ALREADY DO provide every year!

Your decision to approve channel deepening reflects very badly on the environmental and economic credentials of the Rudd government. You have committed our Bay to a huge assault from which it may never recover. As a distinguished environmental campaigner and now Minister elected to protect Australia’s unique environment, how could you have that on your conscience?

Please provide me with a response and explanation as to how you made your decision to approve the channel deepening project.

Yours sincerely,

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