This is a natural disaster. The Volunteers who have been battling the Australian bush fires are exhausted. They are in desperate need of man power. The flames of the fires burning in Gosper Mountain last night were over 60 metres high. Six people have passed and over 500 homes have been lost.

Koalas are now functionally extinct. We have wildlife hospitals over capacity and surviving almost entirely on donations, rescue organisations and carers trying to save animals often in their homes at their own expense. People from all over the world donating and stepping in to help. Yet our government pays next to nothing to support our wildlife hospitals and stand up to their responsibility. Too little too late for Queenslands fauna emblem and one of Australia's most recognisable native animals. What's going to be next?

The Queensland government has recently announced that it plans to build a four-to-six lane freeway, from Nerang to Eagleby, parallel to the M1 at a cost of many millions. Initially, presumably for purely political reasons, they propose to start the work only through Helensvale and Monterey Keys. Their projected date of commencement was initially stated as July of this year. They have also talked of diverting trucks and other heavy vehicles to this new freeway to take the pressure off the M1. The Queensland government doesn’t even have the money to build new highways west of the MI, in the rapidly growing Logan area. Never mind that there are koalas living in the bushland that forms this corridor through Helensvale. Koalas are becoming rarer and rarer, especially after the terrible bush fires. Never mind that it would only remove 5 to 10 minutes of travel time for commuters between the Gold Coast and Brisbane and shift a bottleneck a bit further north. Never mind the fact that “Build it and they will come” might not apply to web sites but definitely applies to highways. This unfunded stupidity is beyond mere inanity. It belongs in the world of the surrealist insane. Naturally, it would be better for the environment and commuters to improve public transport rather than build roads to nowhere. However, if new roads need to be built they should be planned with a long term vision in mind rather than short term political expediency. The excessive immigration introduced to boost the economy has resulted in strains on infrastructure in various parts of the nation. That said, the commute on the M1 is not one of them. All that needs to be done is to upgrade the various exits (on ramps and off ramps) to reduce queuing traffic. In the event of an accident there are already parallel roads to the M1 for diversions. If, despite environmental concerns, massive highway works were warranted, surely it would be better to build two and three storey freeways as are evident in the US and other countries rather than destroying more and more natural land. Will Australia (especially QLD) become subject to proper governance rather than politically expedient decisions before it really cements itself amongst the rank of Third World nations?

Sandown Park is a much loved Hobart recreational area. People come to wind down, walk their dogs, play some sport and to breathe the air. Telstra have decided to build a huge array of mobile phone antennae on an existing pole in the park relying on their own interpretation that this is low impact. They don’t want to ask the community what they think so the notice is buried in a small community newspaper. Please treat the community with respect, we care about the place we live in and the places we use to unwind in. Please don’t wreck our park. Note: No design or image of the proposed addition of 6 antennae on the pole has been provided so the third image is an example of a 6 antennae configuration. The image will be updated once provided by Telstra

Walker Group has proposed to build 3600 units in the Toondah wetlands in Moreton Bay (a RAMSAR site) which will devastate mangroves, and harm migratory shorebirds, dolphin, dugong, turtle, and koala populations in the area. The former QLD State Newman LNP Government had issued the area a PDA (Priority Development Area) but the current QLD State Labor Government has kept it in place, and the Federal Coalition Government has ignored the advice of its own environmental department on the issue. If built this could also devastate the local economy with increased congestion on our roads, the Cleveland CBD could receive less attention hurting local businesses, and placing more of a burden on the taxpayer to fund for this project despite the concerns of climate change and rising sea levels in an area that could be built on reclaimed wetlands. Local first nations groups have also received hardly any contact or input in the process, as this is an area sensitive to cultural heritage as well. Building such a development could also pose as a noise and potential health risk to nearby residents. For more info please see attached link: (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-09/the-developer-the-whistleblower-and-the-minister-toondah-harbour/10487806)

This place ....the Great Australian Bight is very important to the Aboriginal Mirning Tribe in South Australia. Our dream time story comes from this wonderful coast! My grandmothers ancestors grew up along this wonderful untouched pristine coast! We have to give a voice to whales and many other wonderful sea creatures that inhabit along this coast! An oil spill will destroy the coast of Australia for many years to come! We can't risk our ocean!

Much is being done to try to influence Australia’s leaders to transition out of coal. A lesser known source of greenhouse emissions is our gas industry. Government figures show that emissions from coal and gas are increasing. They explain the methane increase as being due to rising LNG exports. Yet they want to export even more. As one of the world’s largest gas exporters, we are on track to becoming one of the top contributors to global warming by 2030. Doctors for the Environment Australia believe that our gas industry has impacts for climate and health and is a threat to our food security. The Permanent People’s Tribunal has said that fracking is against human rights and should be banned worldwide. The latest Water Report for the Surat Basin says that in Qld alone 547 water bores will become unusable as the gas fields expand. How much water from WA, SA and the NT will be wasted too? Future generations need our Government to ban fracking now. Please add your signature and get as many others as possible to sign too.

When people visit the Outback they expect to see wildlife, trees and wide open spaces. Not gas wells. This project allows multinational companies to drill and frack 940 wells on farms, in State Forests, right near Carnarvon National Park. Fracking even one well is too many. Drilling more wells when the climate is in crisis and Australia faces no shortage of gas if it was reserved from exports is not necessary, economically wise, or morally sound. This acts as a submission opposing Australia Pacific LNG application to vary Environmental Authority EPPG00787513.

Protection of the environment and the waterways, the wild population of Dolphins populate in Koombana Bay. The numbers of dolphins have been decreasing as a result of human interactions in Koombana Bay already. What impact will a Marina have upon them should it be constructed?

Glyphosate has been banned or restricted in over 20 countries due to the threat it poses to human health. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (2015), Glyphosate is 'probably carcinogenic' to humans, can cause DNA & chromosomal damage in humans & causes cancer in lab tested mammals. Furthermore, Glyphosate has been linked to bee deaths and may be a contributing factor in the significant bee decline we are witnessing around the world (Motta & Moran 2018). The Central Coast Council is planning to roll out an extensive waterway weed control program across the entire Coast, with about 100 waterways targeted for 'treatment' with Glyphosate 360 and Metsulfuron-methyl from April 2019 - March 2020. We are calling on the Central Coast Council to cease immediately any further actioning of the above-mentioned Waterway Weed Control Program & make the move now to protect our health & environment from the risks associated with Glyphosate. We must work together to find innovative solutions to land & water management that have both safety & sustainability in the foreground. A public Forum is hereby requested.

Australia remains a global deforestation hotspot, and areas across the country are increasingly affected by intense fires, record temperatures and drought. Land clearing is harming Australian industry and society, as well as the flora and fauna that are directly affected. Over 300 scientists recently called on governments at all levels to take action to curb land clearing and native habitat destruction in Australia. Concerned Australians can amplify the scientists' message by supporting this campaign. The original open letter can be read here: https://www.ecolsoc.org.au/scientists-declaration-strong-legislation-needed-curb-australias-accelerating-rate-land-clearing This interview with Euan Ritchie sets out the issues clearly: http://thewire.org.au/story/experts-call-for-dramatic-decrease-in-land-clearing/ And this article in The Conversation sets out the reasons why urgent action is required at all levels of government: https://theconversation.com/to-reduce-fire-risk-and-meet-climate-targets-over-300-scientists-call-for-stronger-land-clearing-laws-113172 (NB Image courtesy of Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO).)

The world is quickly losing its dark skies due to light pollution. Light pollution doubled globally between 1992 and 2012 and at least 50% of the world will have lost their ability to see stars and the night sky by 2050 if the current 3% annual increase in light pollution continues. Bunya Mountains has unique fauna including fire beetles and powerful owls that need dark skies for their survival with Australia's vulnerable nocturnal fauna being at threat of extinction given the impacts of climate change. Bunya Mountains is the primary natural areas tourism destination in Western Queensland. UNESCO recognised Bunya Mountains qualities in 2010 with the world’s largest forest of Gondwana period Bunya Pines & the cultural significance of Bunya Mountains (Bonye Buri) which is an Uluru equivalent 'holy mountain' of First People Australians. https://www.darkskywarrior.com/ https://youtu.be/nkw2MuKVpGY https://www.dalbyherald.com.au/news/residents-fighting-to-preserve-buynas-unique-night/3840047/ https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1563117013724267&id=209825109053471&_rdr https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=StkEz1e_H04 https://www.darksky.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IDSC-Guidelines-2018.pdf https://m.southburnetttimes.com.au/news/keep-skies-dark-for-our-wildlife-conservationist/3583568/ https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLHP9vjfF5XLLAwK52XnhJnsVB7MPK9ApC&v=0FXJUP6_O1w https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLHP9vjfF5XLLAwK52XnhJnsVB7MPK9ApC&v=P2JQFyFcbRU&index=5 https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLHP9vjfF5XLLAwK52XnhJnsVB7MPK9ApC&index=1&v=dd82jaztFIo https://Youtu.be/_nlFcEj41Xk https://www.dalbyherald.com.au/news/residents-fighting-to-preserve-buynas-unique-night/3840047/ https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2018/08/why-we-need-to-reconnect-with-the-night-sky/ http://artificiallightatnight.weebly.com/uploads/3/7/0/5/37053463/alan_2018_booklet.pdf https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02212.x https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-015-1232-3 https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-94-007-6220-6 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2007.00473.x http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US8848634 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/1540-9295%282004%29002%5B0191%3AELP%5D2.0.CO%3B2 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-015-1196-3 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8186062 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.12381 https://www.nature.com/articles/srep01395 These are the Aoraki McKenzie Zealand Dark Sky Reserve reports: http://www.phys.canterbury.ac.nz/amidsr/AMIDSRReport2014-15.pdf http://darksky.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/AorakiMackenzie-IDSR-2017-Annual-Report.pdf Winklmoosalm International Dark Sky Park: https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fdarksky.app.box.com%2Fs%2Fohs01y45x74dtrtmvwngwrk8edxwuh26 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y56JEg8x16Y https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_9tMAvjc3VA https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F55wBS2kNNQ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=juqjhMuHmLA https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=5.914582581405009&lat=-3068654&lon=16893537&layers=B0FFFFTFFFT